ASTRAL REFLECTIONS
BY TIM STEPHENS
SEPTEMBER 23 - 29, 2007

	All times/dates are PDT.
	Last June I opined that the rise in interest rates was peaking, and advised those seeking a mortgage to wait awhile for rates to decline. Since then, North American ten-year bond yields (on which mortgages are based) have fallen by half a percent. Normally, this would be followed by a half-percent fall in mortgage rates. But the banks' mortgage rates have risen by about half a percent! This anomaly was caused by the recent credit panics that scared the banks. The irony here is that it was the banks that caused the panics with their lending practices. Now, in response to the panic, they have tightened credit by upping rates - even though their own cost of capital (funds they borrow to in turn lend to you) has dropped.
Pretty good work, if you can get it. It's a classic case of power. The banks have the power, so their "punishment" for issuing bad loans and refusing to pay people who lent them money (the ABCP bonds, etc.) is to make an even bigger profit. This is characteristic of our present Pluto era (1985-2032), which tends toward a concentration of power disassociated from ethics. 
(Did I say refusing to pay people who lent them money? I think so. I think the banks are actually operating illegally - certainly immorally - at this point. At present, many companies have had all or a major portion of their operating funds effectively seized by the banks, who are refusing to repay the money these companies lent them. This has left many companies effectively inoperable. The seizures of the financiers affects far more than their community.)
	I can only see three possible outcomes: 1) the banks' shenanigans lead to a real crash and possible depression; 2) interest rates come down; or 3) as has been characteristic of much of this economy since the mid-1980's, what seem like massive problems just sort of fade back into the woodwork, seemingly harmless, to brew bigger problems. Number 3 is the scariest, because it sets everything up for a bigger cataclysm down the road. I'd expect, in the # 3 scenario, a bigger upheaval around 2009/10. I think # 2 (and so eventually, perhaps, #3) are most likely. In any case, most of us, in most situations, would be wisest to keep cash and not buy big items such as houses. This advice is in place through mid-February of 2008. For the rest of 2008, despite my dire hints here, we should be fine investing, building businesses, etc.
We need to remember one simple thing: when all money is burdened with debt,
money becomes less valuable. 


Start Nothing: 2:14 a.m. to 5:55 a.m. Mon., 5:31 a.m. to 7:22 a.m. Wed., 6:59 a.m. to 7:17 a.m. Fri. and after 10:10 p.m. Sat.


Aries   March 21-April 19
A month of relationships, new opportunities and new horizons (intellectually and emotionally) starts now. Fresh breezes blow, boredom flees! Be diplomatic, eager to join - others hold the aces! Love and romantic attraction still play their tune, but a new trend starts Thursday/Friday: domestic, real estate and security elements demand attention for the rest of 2007, and you might grow more adamant on the home front. Friction can also increase, unless you channel your new energy into productive projects. You'll look at your life and decide who/what stays; who/what goes. 

Taurus   April 20-May 20
You enter a month of work, duties and dealings with dependents, service people and machinery (don't purchase after October 11). Protect your health, dress and eat sensibly. All is well, but invest only cautiously, and be a little wary of new romances through October 24 - they could contain subtly wrong-headed beliefs, principles. Bonny and Clyde proved romance is no substitute for goodness. Two significant trends start Thursday/Friday: 1) you begin to have more words/meetings with partners or potential lovers (through November) and 2) your social life intensifies (through December).

Gemini   May 21-June 20
The four weeks ahead feature romance, creativity, beauty, pleasure, speculative and risk-taking urges, joys from children, sports and games. You'll ride a winning streak! Two new minor trends start now, to balance all the joy - 1) you receive various "work notices" to begin new tasks (through November - but DON'T start new projects October 11 to 31) and 2) your money flow swells, through December. That money flow needs care - you'll make more, but be tempted to spend even more. Put a lock on your wallet, credit cards! Joy, Wednesday/Thursday! 

Cancer   June 21-July 22
You now enter a month of domestic affairs, family, kids, Mother Nature, gardening and agriculture, security, real estate and retirement issues. Two things change Thursday/Friday: 1) your mind grows more active in a creative, romantic, speculative way through November; 2) your determination, will power, ambition and sexual magnetism surge intensely through December. These two trends combine strongly - so you could, in ambitious arenas, make a speculative or creative move; or, in romance, attract the opposite sex powerfully! What occurs will have a "second phase" next March-May. Be ambitious Wednesday/Thursday. 

Leo   July 23-Aug. 22
The weeks ahead emphasize communications, reports, calls, paperwork, details, short trips, curiosity, siblings, and casual contacts. You'll be busy, but it's an easy, non-important time. Sunday brings intriguing people and opportunities. Mysteries (and unexplained urges) lurk Monday into Wednesday morning: caution is your best approach. A mellow, understanding mood flows over you Wednesday/Thursday: love, culture and travel appeal! Be ambitious Friday/Saturday. Now through December, avoid legal hassles, hospital stays (if possible) government, and ethical shortcuts. Now through November, expect uplifting news on the home front! Money's coming, two weeks. 

Virgo   Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Concentrate on earnings, buying/selling, possessions for the weeks ahead. Trust your memory. Send invoices, pay bills. Act quickly, as October 11 (even earlier) will bring a slow-down, missed mail/calls, wrong addresses, etc. This week, Monday-early Wednesday brings difficult relationships. Wednesday/Thursday open doors to financial, sexual, lifestyle and research ideas. Be alert to these, because Friday through December enlivens your social life - and could bring a sexy friend! You'll be hopeful about all these matters, and could pluck a plum from life's tree! Mail, messages and travel increase through November.

Libra   Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Your energy, charisma, effectiveness and luck surge through the four weeks ahead! Start important projects, seek favors, call in markers, get out and impress people. Avoid practical projects such as realty purchases before mid-February, but do charge ahead now on career, love and creative fronts. Do what you want to do, accent your own wishes, tackle personally important things. But act quickly - October 11 brings a slow-down. Through November, there will be more money, income, spending. Through December, bosses will be temperamental, but you can rise through co-operative "partnerships."

Scorpio   Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Lie low, contemplate and watch the passing parade for the few weeks ahead. Your emotional and physical reserves are low. Protect your health; eat and dress sensibly. Plan, contact government, deal with institutions and head office. Delegate tasks. Look for storage or warehousing. You're still wearing a halo in career zones this week and next. Tackle a big chore Wednesday/Thursday - you'll succeed! Now through November, despite present weariness, more talk, travel and errands arise. Now through December, avoid legal hassles. Work duties might send you afar, or to school! 

Sagittarius   Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Wishes can come true over the month ahead! Your optimism soars, your popularity climbs, and the world's a fresh, lively place! Light romance, flirtations, entertainment, friends, even more political or activist groups draw you. Enjoy - you deserve a break. Romance, creativity and luck flow in Wednesday/Thursday. Now through November, neglected tasks and duties bite at your heels. These will grow even worse mid-October onward, so tackle them. Now through December, your financial, sexual and detective urges perk up - you want to strike, make changes, grab life's guts. Do so! 

Capricorn   Dec. 22-Jan. 19
The weeks ahead accent your career, prestige, community status and relations with higher-ups and parents. Be ambitious, strive ahead - all efforts have a result, whether now or far down the road. Wednesday/Thursday might give you an insight into how foundations strengthen a business, your career, etc. - for example, how home life affects your work performance. Now through November, your hopes rise (especially about work) and many social intervals lighten your days! Now through December, partnership issues intensify; one might end. Hot attractions and anger can both occur in love.

Aquarius   Jan. 20-Feb. 18
A mellow, understanding mood flows over you for the weeks ahead. Love, philosophy, religion, learning, cultural involvements, international travel, legal affairs - all are favored. You'll make headway Sunday, as everyone looks to you for the "prime impulse." Take care with money, purchases Monday/Tuesday. Now through November, there will be a lot of talk and activity (and a lot of it wasted, October 11-31) on the career front. Now through December, work assumes an intent, quicker pace. Be prepared: sink into a deep rest Friday/Saturday. Relationships remain sweet, hopes high! 

Pisces   Feb. 19-March 20
The weeks ahead emphasize mysteries, secrets, research and investigation, subconscious urges, sexual desires, dreams, hunches and intuition, commitment and consequence, lifestyle changes, crucial health factors, diagnosis, large finances, death and rebirth. Quite a list! Chase money Wednesday/Thursday - luck's good, and Friday begins three months of "creative money." Can manifest as dollars from creative efforts, spending on luxuries, speculative winnings, etc. The same three months bring attractions, sudden romantic urges - and opportunities! Now through November, you could meet an attractive, humorous, gentle person; if already involved, you discuss "bigger things."


www.astralreflections.com. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-261-1337.


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