Note: this is NEXT WEEK’S forecast. To read the present week’s column, please scroll down to “RECENT POSTS” on the right margin, and click on “June 21- 27, 2015.”
ALL TIMES/DATES ARE PDT (Pacific Daylight Time Zone). PDT is 8 hours “before” Greenwich (England). (As long as Britain is also on Daylight time.) For example, when it is noon PST, it is 8 pm in England. The “World Clock” in the right margin gives you some clues. (You can also Google “time zone converter.”)

 

START NOTHING: 6:50 pm to 8:21 pm Sun., 11:18 am Tues. to 2:11 am Wed., and 3:38 am to 5:21 am Fri.

 

PREAMBLE:

 

NOTE: THE 2015 “LOVE FORECAST” FOR ALL SIGNS IS NOW IN “PLATFORMS.” DUE TO MY LACK OF COMPUTER SKILLS, I CANNOT CHANGE THE TITLE TO “2015,” SO PLEASE CLICK ON “LOVE FORECAST 2014.” (For some reason, it’s greyed out, but still works.) I HATE COMPUTERS!!!

 

NOTE: The “Weekly Forecasts” sit below this extra-long preamble.)
Well, I told you stock markets would rise to June. The TSX (Toronto) started falling May 29, and has fallen three straight weeks now (as I write this, June 19). China has fallen also. The Dow and S&P reached peaks in late May, then fell, and now have recovered almost to their May highs, but not quite. What about the future? Well, let me talk about the economy first, then I’ll leave the markets up to you guys.
We’ve had mildly good business conditions for the first five months of 2015, but also bad inflation/deflation conditions, and some roiling in bonds. Inflation/deflation worries abate this summer, but during this same period business conditions worsen. (Not hugely.) The economy starts to improve in August, but by mid-September we’re back to problems, and stay mired in them for a year – to Sept. 2016. Often, bad business conditions run side-by-side with a climbing stock market, but this long “bad period” is too long to be ignored. In addition, markets often climb when business falters, because players think the business declines will keep interest rates low, and boost stock prices – and they’re right, short-term.
But this time – Sept. 2015 to Sept. 2016 — an even bigger phenomena takes place: major moves will occur with bonds and interest rates. As I opined several years ago, there will be either definite inflation or definite deflation – no namby-pamby stuff as we presently see. This “extreme” inflation or deflation will last an additional year, to the end of 2017.

The New Horizons spacecraft, launched by NASA in 2006, will reach the planet Pluto July 14 this year. The “flyby” is expected at 4:49 am Pacific (Earth) Daylight Time that day. Pluto rules Scorpio. Scorpio’s “long distance travel” sign is Cancer. Guess where the Moon is during that fly-by? In Cancer. Guess what sign the Moon rules? Cancer. So Pluto’s visitor from afar arrives when the Moon is in the sign ruling “far away” for Pluto and Scorpio. So it might be that the planets “rule” even themselves.
The Sun is also in Cancer that fly-by day, so the spacecraft comes from the Sun, from that direction.
That the spacecraft arrives from far away the day Pluto’s indicator of “foreign lands” is in his “foreign lands” sector/sign, is a one-in-12 chance. Statistically, 1-in-12 is an outlier, and usually tossed from the results, or judged not worth considering, because the odds of it occurring twice in a row, are huge; three times, astronomical.

Astrology has already been “proven” in a series of statistical studies performed by Michel Gauquelin in the last half of last century. He found, for instance, that a statistically significant number of athletes had Mars in a specific area of the chart. (“Club players” often had Mars in the career house, while sports champions had Mars in the “rising first house” [by this I mean both sides of the ascendant].) Many politicians had Jupiter in the same spots. Many scientists had Saturn in the 9th house, etc.

But non-statistical proofs of astrology virtually don’t exist. You can never prove astrology in a lab or under controlled conditions, because it embraces the whole universe – not just Earth. When you do a lab experiment, then repeat it and get different results, the fault will often be the lab’s. Laboratories, like all machines and systems, are swayed by the influences we call astrological. In truth, no one knows what these influences are, much less their mechanisms, but we do sense, almost feel them, and objective evidence of their presence is everywhere, large and small. (E.g., sometimes your car won’t start, sometimes it will; some days your computer gives you trouble, some days it doesn’t.)
You can find any reason you want for these unexpected divergences (because we are taught that machines are, in spiritual and conscious terms, inert. They do not change. They are reliable because they have no feelings, and because all their reactions have been carefully measured and guided by their makers. But obviously this was never true. Divergences are common – the two examples above are among tens or hundreds that occur. We can assign reasons for these divergences, the most popular (and probably most true) being the weather – atmospheric conditions, heavy air, light air, moist, dry, etc. But whatever the cause, only astrology has any ability, short or long term, to predict when these divergences will occur. For example, if you buy a computer, especially a major commercial one, when Moon is in your 8th house and Square Uranus, you’re likely to have purchased a lemon. There’s a prediction.
So if the planets influence machines, and influence humans and nature (our “given” position) they certainly will influence liquids and chemicals, and ultimately they influence lab results. So some experiments will prove astrology works, yet, lo and behold, they will not be reproduced, at least not in the same lab (which, ultimately, is our Earth) because the sky has moved, and begun to form different patterns.
So if you’re a scientists, you not only have to prove astrology works, you have to do it within the changing forces that astrology tries to interpret. With astrology, there is no base, no “base line,” no permanent or immutable factor.

 

This Donezal, the white woman who is being roundly criticized for pretending to be Black and working her way up the corporate ladder at the NAACP? I’m not so sure; I’m conflicted.
On the one hand it was fraud, and I can understand African Americans being a little dismayed at this “foreigner” being found not on their shores, but in their heartland. There’s a whiff of betrayal, and a hint of minimalizing, almost of mocking, the black experience. (“Ah’m a smart whate suburban girl, and ah can fake this black thang.”) Think of the royalties she could collect if she were controlling the story. I imagine her ten or fifteen years from now, writing a best-selling self-expose. There is something cruel and unfeeling in this, so she might not.
On the other hand, personally (remember, I’m a white Canadian, so I have little experience in this realm of racism) I have found American Blacks generally to be touchy, dismissive and arrogant when a white guy (e.g., myself) tries to help them. Here are a couple of examples:
After the riots in Ferguson, I phoned a black realtor, a woman, in Ferguson, to present an idea. I offered to pay the first two months rent on any cheap store front (and she gets the commission) so the community could start a grass roots black political party. Her job would be only to find such a cheap, available place (I Google-mapped Fergie’s streets — such vacancies stand everywhere) and to find a lawyer (realtors know many) who would be intrigued by the idea of running black candidates, and everything that follows – enough to put up a few announcements of an important event to this community, on such a night, such a time. And if ten people attend, you could initiate a political party, help the party workers with their applications and gov’t forms, etc.
My rationale was simple. The media reported that 75 per cent of Ferguson’s population was black, but all the cops, chiefs, councillors and mayor were white. The media also reported that the white-controlled police were regularly instructed to troll black communities in order to hand out tickets and fines, to support the white folk’s machine. Thus, the simple solution: run black politicians, elect them with black voters (supposedly 75 % more numerous than whites in this town) then have a black mayor, black councillors, a black chief of police, and start hiring black cops. When Whites abuse Blacks, then Blacks should at the very least, when they’re in the majority, grab their democratic right to rule as the majority.
I dreamt of seeing the Ferguson black community turn the tables. But the realtor just didn’t understand me. Her voice went low. She acted like I was from the Moon, or China. She dismissed me. After a few minutes, I just said goodbye. I started to try again with another realtor, but other things interfered, and later I didn’t have the deep impulse to try again.

Another example (I think, for this has always puzzled me): Twice in this column I have praised Blacks, saying that this was their century, that they would gain much more power, that Africa itself would rise from the depths. (That was the 1990’s – since then, China and its huge infrastructure investments, have made that last prediction more likely.) After each preamble, I received hateful, dismissive emails — from Blacks. I still can’t understand why. (Though I have my blind sides. Maybe they saw my praise as a white man’s warning to other white men: “Here they come!” Is that it? Or was I condescending?)
Okay, one more:
A black artists’ co-op in Detroit wrote me a few months ago, to ask some astrology questions. I answered nicely, and, being curious about the whole co-op/Detroit thing, asked them a couple of questions in return. No answer. They just took what I offered – actually, what they had asked me for – then ignored me. They had no further use for me, not even to the point of saying thank you. But, I’m not experienced, I live in Canada, so I’m sure there are many complex reasons for African Americans’ rudeness. Don’t get me wrong. Blacks have been horrifically abused by America’s hatred and hypocrisy, and are still being abused. It is one of the major injustices on earth. (Though only half as bad as Canada’s monstrous treatment of Native Americans.) I just don’t like being treated with disdain.
Now think of Donezal, who pretended to be black in order to help Blacks. They might howl at her “fraud,” but they would have it no other way. If she had admitted she was Caucasian, they would have rejected her and her help. Helping Blacks (for a White) is a little like trying to help a wounded bear – how do you get close enough to apply the salve?
(Now I know not all Blacks are like this. My best friend in the Marine Corps in the late 60’s, George, an African American from Riverside, CA, was one of the nicest, wisest, intelligently gentle men I ever knew. (Or perhaps he was just going easy on me because he saw that I was a foolish Canadian. The other Marines called me the “Crazy Canuck” in boot camp – I think partly because I couldn’t march; my mind would wander and so would I.)

(One day an officious and pompous young marine, a Texan, suddenly leapt on me during smoke break, and tried to “punish” me for not marching well. I was the whole platoon’s Achilles heel – and they always placed me in the very back of my squad. I thought I marched perfectly well (okay, every once in a while I had to skip to catch up)  and I was disappointed by this segregation. A week or two later, a drill instructor called me into the D.I.s’ hut, pushed me up against a wall and began punching me in the stomach. I forget what I’d done wrong – perhaps it was the marching again. Here’s the surprising thing: neither “punishment” hurt in the least, not even as much as a slap. Weird. At heart, I thought, Americans are softies.) Anyway, George, if you’re reading this, hello!
WEEKLY FORECAST:

 

ARIES March 21-April 19
The main accent lies on your domestic situation, Aries. It’s a more important influence than usual. You might have some grainy problem to overcome, or friction might arise in the home zone. There is also an indication that you need a major rest, deepest in 2 years – so nap, be sluggish, don’t over-exert. Until August 8, DO NOT begin co-habiting with anyone. Your romantic, creative, gambling/sports and pleasure zone remains active and lucky until early October. If single, chances are high that a romance will end in marriage. (My definition of marriage is co-habiting; a formal wedding need not be involved.) Sunday day time’s for mysteries, intimacy, investments and health concerns – not much will happen or succeed, so drift with the tide. This night is made for love: chase someone, if single! Far travel, gentle love, intellectual pursuits, media and cultural events are slated Mon./Tues. You’ll feel mellow, thoughtful, content. Tuesday’s better, before noon (PDT). Be ambitious Wed./Thurs. You might feel a tug-o-war between career demands/prospects and domestic duties. (If uncertain, lean to the domestic.) Most things go right – you could even land/increase a management role Wed. Wishes come true (well, minor ones) Fri./Sat. – an easy two days with social joys, entertainment, happy meetings (especially if you’re at the garden nursery or a neighbourhood function).

TAURUS April 20-May 20
The general emphasis remains on errands, casual friends, siblings, paperwork, communications and travel, details and daily business. These proceed rather smoothly this week. Monday (confusion, memory lapse) and Thursday (unexpected change of agenda) – both mid-days are a little dicey, but just a little. Big luck remains in your zone of real estate, home, children, garden, security, and retirement programs, until early October – but it will be bigger, luckier if you begin any projects here before August 11. If you buy and/or sell a house, or start a retirement savings program, you’ll be eternally glad that you did. Sunday’s for relationships – their more sober side. This night is perfect for finding a retreat, vacation property, or for applying to the government for help in the real estate area. Investments, financial manoeuvres, research and investigation, mysteries, sexual desires, health diagnoses and lifestyle changes – these fill Monday (not so great before late afternoon PDT) and Tuesday (excellent before 11 am PDT). A mellow mood steals over you Wed./Thurs., while travel, higher learning, cultural and religious ceremonies, media and advertising schemes run through the hours. Be ambitious Fri./Sat. – you’re respected!

GEMINI May 21-June 20
The general trend nudges you toward money, possessions, and sensual contacts. All these can grow quite intense – right into early August. A lot of money could flow toward you, but you’ll be surrounded by baying dogs demanding payment – doctor’s bills, lawyers, mechanics, the bakery and grocery store – everyone wants a piece of your “new” fortune. Fight ‘em off – put that money in the bank, and be stingy. Possessions – you might buy too impulsively, or become too fierce about your possessions (hopefully this doesn’t include a loved one – but Geminis are seldom jealous). Finally, it could stir up your sexual attraction, cause you to hotly pursue someone who will become a burden later (you’ll see this if you look bravely and deeply). On the other hand, two consenting adults and all that – as long as no one becomes too attached. It’s time for friendship, Gemini, not for huge romance. This, friendship, will bring you rewards right into October. Tackle chores Sunday. This night through Tuesday brings relationships (perhaps one of the best friends of the year Sun. night!) exciting meetings but possibly also conflict, competition, disagreement. Diplomacy best. Grab opportunities Tues. morning – travel, friendship, relocation are lucky. Life’s depths rise Wed./Thurs., bringing heightened intuition, subconscious promptings, sexual desires, financial actions, perhaps health problems. It might also bring a promotion or compliment from a VIP. A mellow, wise mood steals over you Fri./Sat. Love, friendship and travel favoured.

CANCER June 21-July 22
Your energy, charisma, timing and effectiveness ride a high streak, Cancer. In addition, Mars in Cancer now fills you with ambition, determination, and sex appeal. (The last is best if you’re male.) You’re a bit unstoppable – take care that you don’t push others too hard. Your money/income luck remains high to October. Sunday’s romantic – singles could meet a viable mate. Tackle chores, and protect your health, this night through Tues. A brilliant idea or breakthrough in your career/earnings picture could occur, especially Sunday and Tuesday. Midday Monday needs alertness, or confused thinking can make you waste hours doing a task the wrong way. Relationships fill Wed./Thurs. – You have the essential “power” now, but you’d be smart to use it to attract someone, or to join someone in chasing their goal/desire. You could fall in love – madly, maybe. Who and what you meet and propose Wed./Thurs., could veer into more serious waters Fri./Sat., when commitment and consequence are highlighted. Almost everything’s lucky here, so don’t be afraid to commit. These two days, friends could become intimate, and/or a business/practical opportunity could slide into the funding (“put up or shut up”) stage. Be sharp-sighted, investigate, check an opportunity’s “health” – and your own!

LEO July 23-Aug. 22
Continue to lie low, Leo – your energy and clout are low. The lion’s roar (or purring!) won’t help you much now. Be serious, sober, and handle problems with a business-like dispatch. Not, perhaps, that you have many big problems. (Money might be one, but it will start “ka-chinging” again late August onward, for an entire year.) In most ways, this is your lucky year (to August) so rest, recuperate, lie low, contemplate, plan for the future – and count your blessings. Until early August, avoid dark alleys, biker clubs, belligerent people, and law suits. If applying for school, university, make sure you will really want the courses you’re choosing. Spend Sunday at home or near it. This night (8:30 pm onward, PDT) through Tuesday brings romance, creative and speculative surges, charming kids, art, beauty, and pleasure. Sunday might bring a sudden, electric attraction that could develop into a lifetime partnership – same Tues. morning! (PDT.) (Monday could bring a “sexual refusal.”) Considering your weariness, be light, don’t overstay your welcome, even in romance. Tackle chores Wed./Thurs. – All’s well, but protect your health: dress, eat sensibly. Avoid stress Thurs. noon. Relationships fill Fri./Sat. – benevolently. Make contact, be diplomatic, promote another person’s goals. An easy week, again!

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
The emphasis remains on popularity, social involvements, fun, optimism, bright plans for the future, wish fulfillment, light romance. That last could get hot and heavy quickly, as your sex planet is now (to early August) in your friendly romance sector. Avoid STD’s, pregnancy, etc. (Couples yearning for kids should try harder for the 5 weeks ahead – the “conception wish” might just come true.) All this social atmosphere comes in the midst of a quiet, retreat-oriented year (July/14-Aug./15) so you might not reach heights of celebration, but you’ll be happy these weeks! Continue to interact with government, institutions – and realtors. (It’s a good year – to August – to find/purchase a retreat, spa or vacation property. Late August this year to Sept. 2016 will be a splendid interval to sell and purchase a home to live and grow in.) Do errands, make calls Sunday daytime. By suppertime, into Tuesday, settle into home, kids, garden – take the stress off! Sunday (night) and Tuesday (morn) offer great, perhaps unexpected, luck in financial, sexual, investigative, health zones, especially if the government is involved. (People don’t realize that governments have realty sales, and most also offer house purchase assistance for newbies, vets, etc. Take advantage, Virgo.) A romantic mood steals over you Wed./Thurs. You could meet love, of a gentle but passionate kind. Someone who stands before you late morn to late afternoon Wed., PDT, could be a viable life mate. Travel favoured, especially overseas. Tackle chores Fri./Sat. All’s well. An easy but exciting week.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
The accent remains on your reputation, worldly standing, ambition, relations with bosses and authorities. These are fairly well supported, but there is one “wild factor” – Mars in this same zone until August 8. This can make higher-ups impatient, temperamental, but it can also nudge them into seeing you as a partner of some kind. Whether you should accept such a partnership, if it’s offered, is another question. (If your motives are good, and this partnership thing isn’t “too good to be true,” then you might benefit from accepting it. But if you have to take it, chase it, be a bit wary.) Treat upper-level temper tantrums with good humor; they will pass. Sunday brings a sober savings/spending plan: good day to make a budget. This night through Tuesday brings friends, siblings, errands, daily business, paperwork, details, calls and trips. Sunday night and Tuesday morning can bring a social meeting that is packed with swift attraction. Embrace your home and family, your roots, Wed./Thurs. A work idea is subtly brilliant Wed. Avoid a relationship tiff Thurs. noon (PDT). Romance calls Fri./Sat. – creativity, pleasure, your appetite for risk, all increase…have fun, it’s great…but down the road a practical barrier might arise.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
July is a mind-expanding month, Scorpio. The mellow mood that came over you last week, continues. You understand what was dark, you feel wise. This is a great month to enter university or college, to travel afar, to start an advertising or media campaign, to plunge into any cultural event. Love hovers, also. But there’s one danger: that you can become too assertive or harsh and unbending in these very same things. (Think of your reputation: that will keep you gentle.) Now to Aug. 8, DO NOT start a lawsuit. Your energy and charisma shine Sunday. (Use them to make some serious, sober decisions, and to call on others.) Chase money, shop, sell unwanted items, angle for a pay raise, seek clients, Sunday night through Tuesday. Sunday night and Tues. morning could trigger a work/career opportunity or surprise – one you’ll like! Monday daytime isn’t the best for love. Errands, trips, calls, emails, paperwork, casual friends fill Wed./Thurs. Love succeeds Wed. Be alert for a wee disruption Thurs. noon hour (PDT). Head for home, family, garden, nature, and a rejuvenating rest, Fri./Sat. All’s well. The whole week’s rather easy and successful.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Life’s depths continue, Sage. Your intuition is heightened, and your desires are close to the surface. The general accent lies on mysteries, finances, sex, pregnancy, lifestyle, health diagnoses, commitment and consequence. This is usually a profitable and/or meaningful
period, but an extra ingredient is thrown in this time: you’ll feel not only lustful, but romantic; will not only want to invest, but want to invest quickly, impulsively. You’ll “commit” at the drop of a hat. Careful, Sage, whoa, go slow. This can all be good, but it can also hold unintended consequences. Look far ahead, then act. Lie low Sunday, rest, plan future. Your energy and charisma surge upward late this night through Tuesday. Sunday night and Tuesday morning could spark love – suddenly, unexpectedly if you’re unattached. If attached, plunge into pleasure with your loved one. For scholars, artists, writers, these are inspired intervals. Take an afternoon rest Monday. Chase money, buy/sell, seek a raise, pursue new clients and $ sources Wed./Thurs. A home, security, investment or debt matter (or “new intimacy”) goes well Wed. If there’s a domestic problem, now you can solve it. Errands, trips, visits, communications, paperwork and curiosity fill Fri./Sat. – march forth!

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
The general focus lies on relationships, opportunities, relocation possibilities, dealings with the public – and of course, marriage. Be diplomatic, co-operative; turn away from competition. In a sense, you and another (all others) communicate over a distance now, perhaps a distance of the heart, perhaps of understanding. The thing is, you are attracted, these years (09 to 24) to those who are most unlike you, or at the opposite end of the spectrum – and they are attracted to you. This can create huge, true love, but it can take awhile to evolve/mature. This July (and the first week of August) adds an element of intensity to this scenario – and of heat. So you and another might be hotly attracted – or hot enemies! Take it slow. Sex might be more likely than love. Sunday brings a wish true, perhaps a social wish, in a mild, sober but fulfilling way. This night through Tuesday urges you to retreat, relax and rest. Contemplate, plan, be spiritual, charitable. Sun. night and Tues. morning bring superb luck in finances, debt, investments, and intimacy. Secrets are revealed. If nothing else, ask for a pay raise. Your energy and charisma soar Wed./Thurs. If you speak to someone, you can win their heart, especially Wed. Mild disruption noon Thurs. Chase money Fri./Sat. – luck rides with you!

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
The main accent remains on work, daily health, machinery and dependents. For your health, dive into nutritious meals, plan a new healthier lifestyle, dress sensibly. This would usually be a good time to buy machinery, and if you’re in the field (e.g., excavator operator) the urge to buy equipment will surge strongly at times. However, look far down the road: is there some reason you shouldn’t buy? If not, go ahead. Your relationships remain lucky, beneficial and radiant. Many single Aquarians will meet a life mate and/or marry in the period July 2014 to October 2015. Some unhappily married Aquarians will separate, same period. Sunday’s for ambition. This night through Tuesday accents socializing, light romance, optimism, happiness and popularity. Sunday night and Tuesday morning could catapult a relationship to love’s wonderland. (Or you could meet someone new and exciting.) Careful with your wallet Monday afternoon (PDT). Retreat, rest, contemplate and plan Wed./Thurs. Contact civil servants, institutions and/or charities. You understand money better Wed. Your energy and charisma surge back Fri./Sat. – plunge into new projects, see and be seen, be a leader! A good week.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
The emphasis remains on creativity, speculation, charming kids, beauty, pleasure, and romance. These will flower during this easy, enjoyable week. However, a note of intensity, of heat, joins in – this can cause you to be a little overbearing (who me, Pisces?) or a little too hot, to assertive. If this happens, realize two things: 1) you’re probably not in love, not yet; and 2) you might be in, or entering, a sensual affair with little prospect for true, light, love – and your intensity might be a species of denial. But if your love’s true, march ahead! (Don’t overspend on him/her.) Your life is still filled with lots of work. Sunday’s wise, mellow, favours gentle love. This night through Tuesday accents your career, ambitions, relations with higher-ups, world standing and community reputation. Sunday night and Tuesday morning sparkle with luck, especially in work, money and career. Go all out! Wishes (especially social/romantic ones) can come true Wed./Thurs. – popularity, optimism, bright plans, social delights and friendly romance visit you. Compassion, heightened intuition, your artistic sense, are all favoured Wed. You could fall madly in love. Retreat Fri./Sat. – all’s well, but you need a rest, a second breath. Contemplate where you’ve been and how you arrived here, then make plans for the future. Deal with institutions, civil servants, banks, head office.

The End.

Sorry, no AFTERAMBLE this week.