ASTRAL REFLECTION BY TIM STEPHENS NOVEMBER 14 - 20, 2010 All times/dates are PST. In 2008 I wrote: sell your stocks. Subsequently, the Dow Jones fell 50 per cent. I predicted the bottom would be February, 2009, but said wait until March/April to buy. The Dow then rose, March to September, from 6700 to 9800, or over 50 per cent. I issued a third advisory: sell by September. However, from September 2009 to the present day, the Dow has risen another 1,200 points, or about 12 per cent. So if you followed my last piece of advice, you missed an additional 12 % profit. But you're still far, far better off than you'd be if you'd ignored my original advice and held onto all your stocks from 2008 onward, as the following example shows: Say in '08 you had $ 100,000 in a Dow ETF. If you refused to sell or buy, your $ 100,000 fell by 50 %, to $ 50,000 by March 09. Then that rose by 50 % to September 09, or to $ 75,000. From September 09 to the present, add another 12 %, for a final tally of $ 84,000. By holding, over two and a half years, you lost $ 16,000, or 16 %. But if you followed my advice, you sold your Dow ETF for $ 100,000 in 08, then spent that $ 100,000 on a Dow ETF in March 09. By September 09, your pile rose 50 %, to $ 150,000. Now, at this point, if you had suddenly ignored my advice and held onto your $ 150,000 of stocks (and many did!) by today you would have an additional 12 %, or $ 168,000 total. A $ 68 k gain versus a $ 50 k gain if you'd followed my advice. BUT, from September 09 (when I said "sell") to the present day (October 31, as I write this) gold (in US $) has risen 36 per cent, while the Dow only climbed 12 per cent. So was your recent 12 per cent Dow profit real? Look at your 12 per cent profit from a different angle: if, considering the worldwide plunge in the value of the dollar, we decide to use gold as the true currency of the world, then he value of the dollar has fallen by 36 per cent since September 09. Therefore, the 12 per cent rise in the Dow since my sell advice in September 09, is actually a Dow decline, in absolute terms, of 24 per cent. (Forgive my over-simplified math.) In other words, if you kept your stocks September 09 to the present, you have actually lost 24 % in "global terms," even though your brokerage statement has climbed 12 %! You've climbed the stairs in a sinking house. The same erosion does not apply to the '08-'09 period in which I advised you to sell, then buy stocks. In early 2008 gold was US$ 1,000/oz. In September 2009, it was exactly the same - US $1,000/oz. The gains you enjoyed by following my advice from 2008 to September 09 were "real" in absolute terms. Start Nothing: Before 2:24 a.m. Sun ., 8:37 a.m. to 2:59 p.m. Tues., and 9:33 p.m. Thurs. to 2:04 a.m. Fri. Aries March 21-April 19 Your last week of mystery, Aries - and of chances to benefit from others' largesse or deep pockets. Here are some keywords for action within this arena: Invest, capitulate, confess, fix health, rest Sunday to Tuesday dawn. Ignore an acquaintance's advice! Pay, buy, sell, "stamp" agreements, embrace or make peace with someone, inventory your possessions Friday/Saturday. Governments, courts, institutions, lawyers, travel matters, publishers, head office, partners, antagonists, mate, public, opportunities, agreements - all these, indecisive or inactive in recent months, finally march forward. Taurus April 20-May 20 Relationships remain important. Study opportunities, agreements, relocation prospects, competition and whether you should join 'em or fight 'em. But don't study too long - act soon - or immediately (Monday daytime, Wednesday eve, dawn Thursday right through Saturday). Recent delays in work, employment, machinery and health zones end Thursday. Longer delays (since July) also end, in social, planning, sexual, investment, financial and lifestyle zones. Get going - reach out! Happiness, flirtation, social delights, even love arrive Sunday/Monday. Rest midweek. You shine Friday/Saturday! Gemini May 21-June 20 Your last week of work and drudgery, Gemini. Soon, new horizons will arrive! Meanwhile, tackle chores. Buy or repair machinery, vehicles. Adjust diet, nutrition, health regimens. Your career is highlighted Sunday to Tuesday dawn. Be ambitious - you could net a promotion; VIPs, bosses or parents will approve of or aid your projects, proposals. Optimism, friendship, entertainment enter Tuesday p.m. through Thursday: avoid intellectual or ethical disputes at work. Rest, retreat Friday/Saturday. Four months' delays end in negotiations, partnerships, relocation, career and "judgement." Cancer June 21-July 22 You start this romantic week with mellow wisdom, Cancer. After this, romance dies down briefly, then will return again by month's end, into January - but in that next phase it will be more volatile, demand more critical choices. So enjoy this pleasure-filled, non-pressure week! (You might be dealing with creative projects, vacation, charming kids, beauty, hobbies, sports, rather than romance.) A legal, media, educational or travel solution arrives Monday, especially if you chase it. Buy tickets. Be ambitious Wednesday/Thursday. Happiness, wish fulfillment arrive Friday/Saturday! Leo July 23-Aug. 22 Four-month delays in big financial areas (investments, debts, mortgages, other people's money, business funding) and in sex, intimate commitments, lifestyle changes, research and deep health (e.g., surgery) end now. Shorter and less important delays in mail, communications, telephone installation, career projects, travel and paperwork (especially re property) end now. Push forward to end things and to plant a new life. Seek funding, suggest settlements, let go of one lifestyle and grasp another, especially Monday. Legal, travel, love and intellectual affairs succeed Wednesday/Thursday. Virgo Aug. 23-Sept. 22 An easy, enjoyable week, Virgo. The general accent lies on communications, paperwork, travel, errands and details. Long delays end in relationships and opportunities - the best, luckiest, appear Monday to pre-dawn Tuesday, and Thursday. (If they don't appear, create and chase them!) One opportunity might entail abandoning a job. Life's depths flow in Tuesday p.m. through Thursday: a relationship becomes intimate, you follow opportunity with commitment, money or a promise. Revealing facts surface. (Especially if you turn over a rock or two.) Wisdom, gentle love arrive Friday/Saturday. Libra Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Continue to chase money, earn it, use it, spend it. Machinery, tools, vehicles are a great buy Monday (AFTER dawn). In Seymour Narrows, B.C., there used to be a huge underwater hazard called "Ripple Rock" that caused wrecks for 250 years, and prevented efficient ferry traffic. Finally, in 1958, the government blew it up. Your relationships might hold such a deep, hidden rock. Pluto's down there now (2008 to 2024) trying to eradicate it. It's "there" Tuesday night - but not Wednesday/Thursday, when love and partnership opportunities soar! Work, financial, sexual and intimate delays end. Scorpio Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Your energy, charisma and effectiveness remain high - and this lucky week speeds you toward your goals! Start major projects, seek attention ,ask favours, display your talents. Delays that have frustrated you for months in creative, speculative, romantic zones - and shorter delays in partnership, relocation and/or government-related zones - all end now. You ride a winning streak Sunday to Tuesday - romance, speculation, creativity, all reward. Take a risk! Tackle work mid-week. You'll succeed. Relationships confront you Friday/Saturday - smooth co-operation, money agreements prevail. Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21 This is your last week of seclusion, Sage. Rest deeply, as next week you'll burst into new projects, situations, and hopes. The more you rest now, the more energy you'll have then - and the more chores and obligations you clear away now, the lighter and more free you'll be - when it counts. This is a great week, considering. Everything revolves around your domestic situation Sunday to Tuesday: Monday holds property, security luck. Romantic notions tease and please mid-week. You might make a "back yard" friend. Work, health Friday/Saturday. Personal, domestic and social delays end. Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19 The accent remains on wish fulfillment, popularity, social delights, light romance, and entertainment. You feel optimistic about your future; this is a great week to make plans. Do errands, paperwork, communicate and travel Sunday to Monday. Monday to Thursday favours communications about money - and money information. Read, ask questions, follow your curiosity. Past frustrating delays end in all these areas (especially in obtaining information, especially from government and large corporations). Home, midweek. Romance, pleasure, creative surges Friday/Saturday - take a chance! Aquarius Jan. 20-Feb. 18 You're still in a general ambition cycle, for another eight days. Act early - Sunday to Tuesday favour chasing money, seeking a pay raise, cultivating new clients, etc. Monday's best. Communications, errands, details, travel, casual acquaintances stymie you Tuesday, but they bring interest, happy social interludes (Wednesday) and some intriguing money ideas (Thursday). This week ends a four-month delay in earnings, purchasing power, and dealing with possessions. Beware a bit of deception from higher-ups midweek. Head home Friday/Saturday, for a rejuvenating rest - excitement's coming! Pisces Feb. 19-March 20 Love, understanding, higher learning, far travel, publishing, religion, cultural involvements - these are still your main theme. Your energy and magnetism surge upward Sunday to Tuesday - and your luck soars Monday. Take advantage, get something done, propose, impress someone! Chase money Tuesday eve to Thursday - your idea factory might be a little wobbly, but your practical instincts are right, especially Wednesday. This week ends four months of delay in your ambitions. A lot of that delay emerged from your own indecision: that ends too. Light friends, heavy info, Saturday. www.astralreflections.com. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 416-686-5014. /30/