Episode #18 Marguerite Hafeman and Big Banks Part 2

This episode is a continuation of last week’s discussion with Marguerite on the Venus retrograde period and its influence on the four big banks of America.

Episodes #17 & 18 Marguerite Hafeman and Big Banks, Parts 1 & 2

Norma Jean welcomes back Marguerite Hafeman to talk about Venus retrograde and its influence on the four major American banks. This was such a great discussion that we made it a two part show. Come back next week for part 2.

Marguerite is a long-time resident of Colorado; formal credentials include a Bachelor and Master of Science in Horticulture, in addition to being an NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research) Certified Astrologer. She started seeing clients in 1980, making the transition to full-time astrologer and Tarot card reader five years ago. Currently Marguerite works for AstroLive, an internet-based phone service devoted to an international clientele, besides doing readings state-wide at metaphysical fairs and by personal appointment. She is a contributor to Dell Horoscope Magazine and currently has two articles slated for future publication.

Community involvement includes being active in the Rocky Mountain NCGR chapter and serving as program director for ROMA (Rocky Mountain Astrologers). Special areas of interest include mundane astrology and business strategy, family dynamics, personal development and the incorporation of astrology into meditative and magical practice. Future projects include the production of mystically-themed cards and plaques, besides plans to write a book about the practical use of astrology for symbiotic living with nature and cosmos. Marguerite’s website and meanderings in astrological philosophy can be found at http://www.mysticmarguerite.com .

Renewed Time of Action Mid-March

Spring Brings Action

If it has felt like slogging through a bog in trying to move life forward these recent winter months, you can soon look forward to a change of energy. Mid-March will find us ready to put plans in action and take up new causes. This slack time is useful for review. From this, we learn what needs changing. In a time when the economy is so uncertain, we become more creative and inventive.

The first half of the month will work better if you tune in to your gut instincts and be attentive to the subtle things going on around you. Socially, it is a great time for connections, networking, and sharing insights on how to get by in tough times. In fact, this is a great time to collaborate with others. Be sure to keep your communications as clear and too the point as possible. This is a time when there can be confusion because we don’t articulate precisely what we mean. Watch out for vague commitments. Substance may be lacking. This will improve after the New Moon on March 15. Real promises can be taken seriously from the 17^th to 20^th.

Spring arrives on March 20, setting the stage for releasing the growing pulse in the undercurrent of society. Government is becoming increasingly a stupid game among the governing crowd to see who can create the biggest mess and not take responsibility for a country in distress. I might even suggest some potentially sinister activities being planned behind the scenes. Heaven forbid.

On the national level, there is a powerful force working to contain and control. President Obama is using Executive Orders to move presidential powers beyond the logjam of Congress. We do not hear about these things on the evening news. (You can learn about it on the internet, however.) There is a very slow transit coming on to the USA Moon, which represents the people of the nation that is likely to contribute to increased disillusionment, increased anxiety and fear, as well as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. How do we combat massive collective depression? By working to support each other within the community and sharing information on ways to work together for our own security at the local level.

This time last year, I was expecting something like the Tea Party movement. I am surprised at who actually became the key players. Sarah Palin is becoming a major flag bearer for the movement. She is serving as an icon authority for the creation of delusion, disinformation, and inflammation of negative feelings. She speaks the language of fear and anger. There is a growing faction of opposition building up toward a crescendo in August. The energy of revolution is rising.

The last days of March are the turning point relative to the eclipses of December. The energies will support completion of projects and final tweaks before presentation. The Full Moon, March 29, will feel like a release of pressure. Solutions to problems will surface as we move into April. In the tradition of spring-cleaning, the first week of April will be a perfect time for things to come to the surface, whether that’s information or lost items.

February 2010

Welcome to the new decade that will be highlighted by changing structures and dynamic globalization. We enter 2010 with some important astrological patterns that will shape the next several years. The opening theme of the times is marked by reflection and summarizing. Going forward is delayed by first assessing the impact of 2008 and 2009.

The focus of the Presidential transition had us blinded to the financial banking coup d’état that was passed from Bush to Obama. We were so hopeful of change we didn’t notice the sleek movement of the banksters into cabinet positions to further the pumping of America’s wealth into the elite power pockets. Hurray! What do you know? The Federal Reserve Bank made a record profit of $45 Billion! Unfortunately, the jobs of common Americans continue to disappear. Home foreclosures continue and state after state is having to suspend their job and re-employment education services, because the money is depleted from record high demand for unemployment compensation.

What can we expect in 2010? First, there are differences for different generations. The elderly continue to struggle to make ends meet without greater community support for their basic needs. The Baby Boomer generation is faced with reevaluating the connection between their jobs and their egos. It is harder for the over 50 folks to replace good paying jobs that had been supporting indulgent lifestyles and over-extended projections for future retirement. It is timely for these people to use the first half of 2010 to review their participation in the job market. This generation has never been short on inventive ways to be independent. We are likely to see more people trying to develop income-producing activities for themselves, where there are no jobs in companies.

The winter months are especially burdened with issues of necessity and supporting basic needs. The middle week of January starts the year with many of the issues left over from last year coming to the top of business tasks. Responsibility is a keyword for this period. At the same time, there will be areas where we can expand our social connections, and develop new networks of mutual benefit. This will build on the trend of survivalism with people working together to deal with ‘doing the best we can’ with limited resources.

The younger generation in the workforce is not as stressed with the sense of limitation. For many this is a time of gaining power. They are going to launch into new technical opportunities and new business arenas. This generation was born with innovation in their consciousness. We can look for the new face of power in this group born in the 1960’s revolution. There is a gathering force of social change similar to those years that will be more evident in the summer months.

April to July will be a period of examining systems that need real change. It’s time for an upgrade in many ways that we do business. That includes some of our long held ideas about capitalism and the goal of wealth. Globalization is happening in many ways. It is prudent to be attentive to protecting our national sovereignty without giving up our rights in the name of security.

August is the month where the greatest build up of energy for radical change occurs. This is the first of several points along the timeline of the next few years that will mark major developments. There is great power of transformation in the combination of planetary energies. Several slow planets are transitioning between signs, which always give a mixture of results. It is similar to changing seasons. There will be endings, but also new beginnings.

It will be the Chinese year of the Tiger, which commingles animal instinct, high energy, and the power to pounce without notice. The tiger has a keen sense of awareness and doesn’t like to be confined. In this year, we can take advantage of being sensitive to our surroundings and be ready to recognize and to pounce on new opportunities.

Mercury’s Retrograde Connections

My December article on my blog, Sirius Star Talk, addressed the issue that even though the White House is talking about creating jobs, there is not going to be a surge of people returning to the regular workforce any time soon.

In an article titled “Brace for a Jobless Decade”, appearing December 28 on www.CommonDreams.org Mary Bottari, Director of Center for Media and Democracy, wrote:

“While the stimulus package passed by Congress was big and slowed the pace of job loss, the problem was even bigger. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the Obama stimulus bill has created or saved between 170,000 and 235,000 jobs per month starting in the second quarter of 2009. Yet, Princeton economist Paul Krugman says that the country would have to produce an additional 300,000 jobs per month for five years to achieve full employment.

Unfortunately, the economy is weak and far from producing such spectacular numbers.  Economist David Levy, says the country faces a new era of chronically high unemployment, averaging 8 percent or more over the next decade. He calls it the “New Abnormal.”"

The astrological factors we face going into the next decade are the dynamic phases of several long cycles that historically show theses periods to be about great social and civil changes. For most people who do not track the process of political and economic shifts, this may seem like just a slow down and there is no reference to cycles, or phases of cycles. Yet, the clockwork of the universe operates on links between the faster and slower planets.

The planet with the shortest cycle is Mercury, which is most relative to mental processes, communication factors, and commerce. As Mercury orbits the Sun, it appears to backup in the zodiac periodically. In fact, every three months it retrogrades for about 3 weeks. Over the course of a year, Mercury will travel around the zodiac and link up with the zodiac sign it turned direct in 3 retrograde periods before. It is overlapping its retrograde place from a year before and near the same time. Thus, we can track issues and topics that take time to resolve.

I will use the bank bailout scenario as an example. Just going back to July 2007, right before the housing bubble burst, Mercury retrograded over the USA Sun, Jupiter, and Venus in the sign Cancer. These planets represent our national status, expansive power, and values/resources. The economic risk factors, nationally and globally, were already causing an increase in mortgage foreclosures and bank failures. On August 10, 2007, President Bush declared, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong. … Job creation is strong. Real after-tax wages are on the rise. Inflation is low.”

The first real shock of the housing collapse came in September 2007. On October 26, 2007, Congress passed The Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007. Mercury was retrograde in Scorpio going back into Libra, and the USA 10^th house of government business.

One year later, Mercury was retrograde in the same area September 23 to October 15, 2008. Congress created the bailout of the “too big” banks, resulting in the Troubled Asset Relief Plan of $700 billion. Most recently, Mercury was again retrograde through September 2009 in Libra, backing into Virgo and making contact with the slow planets that will become the ‘hot topic’ of 2010. During this phase, Congress again reviewed the TARP plan and its results. When asked by Congress whether the Treasury planned to end TARP at the end of the year, Secretary of Treasury, Tim Geithner replied that it was “important that we not declare victory too soon.” Neil Barofsky, TARP Special Inspector General, said that commercial real estate “might be the next proverbial shoe to drop, threatening to increase the pressure on banks and small business alike yet again.”

On December 26, Mercury turned retrograde in Capricorn and the 2^nd house of the USA chart. The 2^nd is the house of finances and resources. Mercury will turn direct on January 15, 2010 at 5 degrees Capricorn. This is important because this is the degree where powerful Pluto will also turn retrograde on April 6. This is the degree opposite of the USA Jupiter, the planet of expansion, growth, and opportunity. Pluto brings major dramas. It is known for the power struggles that affect the masses, for causing upheaval and devastation. As an example of Pluto’s influence in creating major changes, it was on the Ascendant of the USA chart when the 9/11 attack occurred. It has since made the word “terror” a common word used by governments to employ control over the masses.

Mercury is relative to the minor things like travel, standing in lines, and having proper documentation. This phase of Mercury’s retrograde travel has already shown us heightened security measures, delaying travel and slowing down progress through lines. This may seem minor to some people. We do take it in stride. However, as we move into 2010 we will see more evidence of tighter controls, increased “security”, and more reasons to be detained.

We can keep our focus on the little things the Mercury retrograde gives us, lost items, miscommunication, and poor decisions. We can make the most of the retrograde period by reviewing things before we put them in the mail, reorganizing the office to regain productivity, and cleaning out clutter in general.

Let us also keep a focus on government policies and pay attention to our shrinking personal freedom. We are in the closing phase of Pluto’s large cycle of 248 years in relation to our government. If you review pre-Constitutional history, you will find that much of the struggle for independence was the result of the financial debt created by war and taxation without representation. The current financial crisis of the United States and the rest of the world could be just the beginning of a new revolution.

December 2009

Some days it might be easier to stay focused on one’s personal daily business than try to get a clear perspective of the larger world happenings. December 2009 is one month that is easy to keep life more personal with traditions and celebrations. This may not be the year of our biggest and best celebrations, but it will help to remember those we care about and to hold ‘love’ as a dear thing.

The year of 2009 had a series of outer planet contacts that is only partially complete as the combinations become more powerful and complicated. When the slow-moving planets make alignments that exert a powerful combined stress on the earth due to their tensions in the electromagnetic field, there are corresponding tensions that arise in world events. The alignments that are forming for 2010-2014 are historically the most dramatic combinations that relate to factors of power, governments, social and civil developments, and all things that are the parts and pieces of economy and commerce.

It would be a real pleasure to report that the coming seasonal chart that represents the trends of the year ahead is all about stability, comfort, and ease. But, not this year. If you thought 2009 was stressful, that was just the warm-up. What we have ahead of us is a challenge that will make us all pay more attention to the larger picture.

Corporate power is at a stage of morphing into a stronger, tighter core. Mergers will be very common between December and April. This is not likely to reflect job openings, rather more job loses and companies tightening up. Where are the new jobs? What are the new jobs? If small companies are not growing and big companies are monopolizing, who is stimulated to move in a new direction? Where is the innovation of new business? It is going to take a revolution of thinking to bring around real changes. Right now, people are still lulled into thinking that something is “going to open up.”

The power of the people is truly in the small community and local networks. In many respects, we will be starting over in 2010. Creatively, there is energy for projects that benefit the community. When people draw together socially, we feel the heart and look into the eyes of our neighbors. It is timely to be brainstorming for new ways to help each other survive and to maintain our small local community power. One thing that can make a difference in our survival is participating in community associations, school-parent groups, and all of the various ways that people work together. Staying connected and being a contributing member of a group or community is an opportunity to share ideas and bring social issues to a place of solving problems.

If we look to history to see the resilience of humanity, new growth appears after devastation. New systems replace what has failed. The pioneering spirit erupts into action and innovation takes hold. I expect there will be some shocking events in 2010 that will stimulate social changes. I am looking for the awakening of goodness and compassion within the small community to counter the stark contrast of global economic struggle and personal suffering.

Blessings of the season to all.

September 8 Blog

Periodically, we have time for review established in the natural flow of life. Sometimes we arrive into these phases with strong intention that we are moving ahead on projects when suddenly we are forced to stop and clean up old business.

Let me use the decision-making struggle represented by Congress as an example of current energy playing out. Just as they return from their summer recess, Mercury, planet of ideas, communication, and commerce, has turned in its tracks for a three-week review period. This retrograde period over-laps with the Mercury retrograde period of September-October 2008. That means there will be a need to go back to last year’s problems.

If you remember, this is the time that the banks began to fail and Congress rushed to create the first “bail out” bill. From that point on through 2009, everything has hinged on those decisions. We can mostly agree that there have been some poor choices made by our legislators this year.

At this time, the polarized attitudes have heads down and horns locked. This month some dramatic astrological features are starting to mount toward even greater events to come in another year. We have the standoff of the old standard guard that protects the current backroom business model between corporations and lawmakers, versus the younger, tech-savvy entrepreneurial “green-conscious” revolutionaries, who want health care for all and a clean environment. The twists of language in the messages will be interesting over the next two weeks. We can expect high drama for mid-month as we go into the dark phase of the moon.

Bringing the context back down to the personal level, we will all be facing some kind of push-pull situation in our own lives. It is helpful to know that one underlying feature to these times is the need to let go of old out-dated ways of being and reinvent ourselves. This will be evident in how relationships go over this time. The review is applicable to the general workings of our lives, how we communicate and interrelate on all levels. We can learn something in the process that will help to move us ahead. It is okay to hold on serious decisions right now.

If you feel like you keep butting heads, look for a point of compromise. This is the half of the month for gathering in, not pushing forward. There is just a lot of polarized energy. As we get toward the new moon, Sep. 18, we will be better prepared to make clearer choices. Mercury is retrograde until the 29^th, so we cannot rely on commitments made before then. Consider that you may not have all the information to make an informed decision. If you can wait, DO.

The Autumn Equinox is September 22. This seasonal marker suggests that the last quarter of the year will generate serious political discussions that will likely stall any meaningful action that will serve the people in general. The growing financial distress in the country is fueling a revolution. At the community level, we will see the rise of inventive new ways for people to help each other through hard times.