PLEASE do NOT use the old ‘shaw.ca’ email!  This hasn’t been active for 3 months.  My current email address is below.

My new email is:  suningem@gmail.com  (stands for sun in Gemini, my sun sign).

All times/Dates are PDT – Pacific Daylight Time zone. PDT is eight hours before Greenwich England (BDT).  For example when it is noon PDT, it is 8 PM in England – and 4 AM the next day in China. The world clock in the right margin gives you some clues. You can also Google “time zone converter.”

If English is not your first language, you should be able to translate this blog into your own language by using Google’s translation app. Hopefully I will soon have this translation feature back on this blog.

START NOTHING:  3:37 am to 8:31 am Mon., 6:20 am to 7:28 pm Wed., and 10:56 pm Fri. to 3:06 am Sat.

PREAMBLE:
The U.S.A. is a Cancer nation.  Is it just coincidence that Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, the shadow patriots, were both born in the sign Cancer?  (I suspect Ed has a Gemini “signature,” and Julian a Sagittarian streak — both signs of disseminating and publishing.) Cancer, by the way, is the sign of patriots.

(AFTERAMBLE: GOD AND ASTROLOGERS)

WEEKLY FORECAST:

      ARIES:  March 21  -April 19

Your long personal winter is over, Aries. The whole month ahead imbues you with heightened charisma, clout and energy, so start new ventures/projects, get out and mingle, make new contacts, impress people! But realize that Mercury retrogrades April 9 onward, so launch ventures early, and only start projects which you can either finish or get to a solid first stage before that date. Emphasize mingling, making contacts — for you are in a year (until October) of fantastic opportunities arising from others — perhaps involving overseas locations, legalities or intellectual pursuits. Sunday’s wise, mellow, and focuses on just these things: far travel, legalities, intellectual pursuits — and on love and friendship, two shining links. Be ambitious Monday (after dawn PDT) to Wed. suppertime. Almost everything is lined up for striving, effort and success, and against romance, fun, or pleasure. (Especially Monday, when you might trigger a money bonus down the road.) Friends, hopes, happiness, entertainment and flirtations fill Wed. night through Friday. You’ll be happy, but take care Thursday: teasing or flippant words could alienate someone, who will hide their feelings. Retreat Sat. — rest, nap, read,  contemplate, examine, study and plan.  (Plan, commit AFTER 10 AM PDT, not before.)

   TAURUS:  April 20 – May 20

Seek rest and comfort for the next four weeks, Taurus. Avoid challenging situations, popularity goals, and public appearances. You well advance nicely in research, studying, planning, dealing with the civil servants or your own head office, investing if you’re careful, and in spiritual and charitable matters. Although your social charisma will be low, your sexual magnetism shimmers around you this month and next. In addition, by April your social connections treats you affectionately, and you regain your gift of gab. So this month of quietude and solitude is one of the lightest you will ever experience. Sunday favours sexual intimacy, financial actions and research — and exceed until 6:30 PM (PDT). A wise, mellow mood enters Monday morning to suppertime Wednesday. This interval favours far travel, higher education, intellectual pursuits, and cultural, religious and similar rituals. Few things run smoothly, though, so this is not a particularly good time to launch any projects. Love can meet some barriers. Exercise your ambition Wednesday supper time through Friday – you’ll succeed in many ways, but watch out for damaging gossip, ethical violations, governmental restrictions or simple refusals Thursday. Your popularity rises and a wish could come true during a mild, benevolent Saturday.

      GEMINI:  May 21 – June 20

You’ll like, even love, the weeks ahead, Gemini. Your popularity will rise, so will your hopes for the future. Entertainment and social delights arrive, and a wish could come true. (If this wish involves far travel, media/publishing, intellectual pursuits or cultural venues – act on it soon, as this area can prove difficult from mid-May onward, for over a year.) You’ll deal with groups, a club, whatever, and from this might emerge a person suitable for love. This might involve someone from the past, perhaps an Aries or Libra. A second chance could occur, but even this might break up, and then, a rare third chance with a love that has never quite worked. Remember, you are in a year (until October 10) of huge romantic luck — and one you fall for could become your life-mate. But you have six months to choose — no rush. Until mid-April, beware belligerent people and venues of violence — dark alleys, biker clubs, etc. (Same period good for sports achievement.)  Exciting meetings Sunday — welcome anyone/everyone. Secrets, sex, finances, medical emergencies, lifestyle choices and consequences fill Mon. morn to Wed. eve. Be cautious, sidestep commitments. A compassionate, world-wide view flows into you Wed. night through Friday — love is alive! But you might also find your sexual advances (especially if they’re verbal) rebuffed, quietly but firmly (Thurs.). Be ambitious Saturday — act after 10 AM PDT, and you’ll succeed.

     CANCER:  June 21- July 22

The weeks ahead focus on your worldly standing, prestige relations, ambitions and dealings with authorities. This area might contain one major challenge (peaking about April 8) but also ease and progress (in March). You might return to an old ambition or former project. This isn’t the best time to pursue a new ambition or start a new project, nor is April. But in ongoing situations, bosses and authorities like you, favour you. Sunday’s for chores —  you’ll do them easily. Relationships fill Monday morn to suppertime Wednesday. This is a scrappy little interval, so proceed cautiously, smile, be diplomatic. Life’s depths surge to the surface Wed. night through Friday: sexual intimacy, financial actions, research and commitment. For best results, act Fri. — Thursday contains obvious argument and hidden disagreement. Saturday is loving, intuitive, and wise. Someone who enters after 10 AM (PDT) Saturday could be a good friend, career helper, or lover.

      LEO:  July 23 – Aug. 22

The month ahead emphasizes intellectual pursuits, love, far travel, international affairs, love, abstract and profound thinking, love, publishing and media, love, law, cultural events, and love. An old flame might appear — if in April, a former sexy link. If you’re single, Leo, think about this: from May this year to November 2018, you should not marry — and never marry anyone you meet during this period. This means that you can pursue a mate now, to early May — likely someone from the past — or Dec. 2018 through 2019. This latter period is much stronger and more fortunate. So decide whether to fish or cut bait until 2019. Sunday’s romantic and exhilarating — you could meet a perfect mate!  Daytime best. Tackle chores Mon. morn to Wed. suppertime — a bit frustrating (but you remain good humoured) Mon., better Tues., disruptions Wed. Exciting meetings and relationship “incidents” occur Wed. night through Friday. Be diplomatic, willing to join another’s band wagon. Again, love and “mate hood” are front and centre. A health or work irritation might put you off Thurs. before 6 PM PDT, so act after this time through Friday — love, again, is possible. Saturday brings sexual yearnings, financial urges, secrets and deep curiosity. Again, love is possible. (But this is a very sexual attraction, so make sure you aren’t violating moral codes, and don’t pursue anyone before noon.)

     VIRGO:  Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

You shift now from open attractions and agreements to more hidden or private actions:  funding, commitment, investment, inheritances, marriage or family finances, and sexual intimacy — or the prospect thereof. Secrecy, mystery, research and investigation hover around you. This area can bring you many rewards this week and next; they will tend to come from past agreements, contacts or deals (or lovers). This good luck with these deep and serious matters also occurs during May — but at that time you will probably be working with a new set of circumstances. Avoid lawsuits now to April 20. Sunday emphasizes your home in very pleasant ways — a great day for a family picnic or other recreational adventure. Also a good day for investing in real estate or buying a big new electronic appliance for your home.  (Act before 6:30 PM PDT.)  Risk-taking urges, beauty and pleasure, romance and creativity fill Monday morning to Wednesday suppertime. Many slip-ups and minor frustrations stud these few days – Tuesday is best. Plunge into chores Wednesday night through Friday. Thursday is rough — DON’T risk money or heart until long after suppertime. Good money opportunities Friday! Relationships fail Saturday: all is peaceful calm and productive, but subtle hidden traps might exist before 10 AM.

      LIBRA:  September 23 – October 22

Relationships fail the four weeks ahead, Libra. Expect exciting meetings —and challenges. Be diplomatic, and eager to join another’s projects or goals. Almost all the bonds you form before April 9 will encounter a hurdle that involves the amount of money you own or earn and your home situation. This might simply mean you meet someone so arrogant they reject you because you don’t have as nice a house or as big a bank account as them. After April 9, this problem will not be inherent in the new links you form. Your sexual sector remains intense for the next two months. An old flame might return now or in April. Sunday is for errands, casual friends, communications and travel. Focus on your home, children, and real estate (and sales territory in business) Monday morning to Wednesday suppertime. Various niggly little obstacles populate this interval, so march ahead with solutions in mind, not confrontations. Tuesday morning probably best for action. Creativity, risk-taking urges, cute and charming children and the pursuit of pleasure fill Wednesday night through Friday. Take action Friday. Before this, you will probably meet a refusal or two. Dive into chores  Saturday — all goes well, but start after 10 AM PDT to avoid subtle missteps.

      SCORPIO:  October 23 – November 21

The month ahead features work, every day health, machinery and tools, dependants and service personnel. Your workplace has been affectionate all March, and will stay so this week and next. A coworker affair might occur. Relationships in general intensify through April 20, especially involving co-workers, your duties, etc. A working partnership might arise. Buy/sell, seek a pay raise, hold a garage sale Sunday — daytime best (PDT) and reasonable success is certain. Errands, casual acquaintances, travel and communications fill Monday morning to Wednesday suppertime. Act Tuesday for best results. Monday might cause love misunderstandings, and Wed.’s like a hollow barrel when you tap on it — nothing inside. Turn homeward Wednesday night through Friday – embrace the family, do minor repairs, buy furniture, garden, shore up your security, enhance retirement plans/funds. These succeed Wed. night, Thurs. night (after 7 PM PDT) and Fri. – Friday’s best.  Bite your tongue all week before Fri., or you might insult a co-worker or casual friend. Saturday’s for romance, creative and speculative urges, beauty and pleasure, after 10 AM best, safest.

     SAGITTARIUS:  November 22 – December 21

Ah, sweet romance! This, and beauty, pleasure, charming kids, creative spells and risk-taking urges, fill the four weeks ahead. An old flame might appear. (Anytime in March, and again last half of April.) Ongoing love affairs could slow down. A co-worker romance is also possible, to late April. This spring will be confusing in love, as your own indecision helps run the merry-go-round. You might have thoughtlessly hurt someone who really wanted you; that person will never accept you again, so chase elsewhere. Your energy and charisma shine Sunday — accept suitors, impress prospects, in love and business. Buy/sell, chase money, protect possessions Mon. morning to Wed. suppertime. Monday’s mildly difficult (might disappoint those seeking easy love) Tuesday’s good (but not for love or partnerships) and Wednesday’s a dud — stick to routine. Errands, paperwork, details, travel, communications and curiosity fill Wed. night through Friday. Romance hits strong barriers Thursday afternoon, but this night and Friday you’ll whip through all small chores, errands and calls with great ease. Be home or in the ‘hood Saturday — home repairs, gardening, landscaping, privacy, rest, family get-togethers are good. Plunge in after 10 AM PDT not before.

     CAPRICORN:  December 22 – January 19

The next four weeks contain a down-home theme, Cap. Although you MIGHT be indecisive about home-based projects, Especially decoration or beauty-based projects (e.g., a flower garden) a glow of warmth and affection will envelope you. This can be a good time to return some things to earlier versions. (E.g., hate that paint? Repaint in the previous colour.)  A prodigal child might return. Lie low, rest in the shade Sunday — all’s well, a good time to tackle applications or spiritual, charitable tasks. Your energy and charisma turn upward Monday morning to Wednesday suppertime. Get out, make contacts and start new projects, but start nothing unless you can finish it before April 9.  A great time to put your home/family on the path you want. Buy/sell, chase money, pay bills Wednesday night through Friday. Take care Thursday when a romantic move might go wrong, or an argument might occur over money. Messages you receive are true but unhelpful. Friday, on the other hand brings a beneficial ease to monetary and sensual matters. Plunge Into errands, communications, paperwork, details and short trips Saturday. All goes well, and social happiness prevails. Your romantic courage and determination are high until April 20. You might see evidence of this Saturday night.

     AQUARIUS:  January 20 – February 18

The weeks ahead will fill with errands, short trips, a flurry of communications and paperwork and, possibly, a friendly love affair. Your home will contain friction until April 20 – be gentle with children. This is a great time to tackle home projects, Especially those that need a lot of pounding, machinery and noise.  But be sure that any project you start can either be finished before April 9, or can be placed on a firm plateau to be tackled later (May 3 onward). Sunday brings social joys, popularity, optimism, wish fulfillment, and bright friends. If you meet someone new this day,  he/she can become a very good friend but probably not a strong lover. Retreat from the bustling world Monday morning to Wednesday suppertime – rest, contemplate, plan, be charitable and spiritual, and deal with bureaucrats. There will be a fair amount of bumps and irritations, so just muddle along. Your energy and charisma shoot skyward Wednesday night through Friday. Wednesday night is productive, but Thursday day time can create domestic arguments or reveal a part of yourself to someone in a way that alienates them. Friday, however, gives a broad green light do almost everything – get out and achieve something!  Saturday’s for money, collecting and spending it – as long as you start after 10 AM PDT, you should succeed.

  PISCES:  February 19 – March 20

Your energy will quietly update abate over the four weeks ahead, Pisces. Yet during this time you’ll be quite active, running around town, talking to people, reporting on events, filling out forms, etc. The main emphasis now lies on possessions, memory, sensual attractions, and money – buying/selling, paying all bills and collecting debts. Last month, money rushed to you but you may have spent as much as you made. Money remains favourable and lucky for the remainder of March. A former earnings project might return, or you might buy an item you coveted in the past. Be ambitious Sunday. Waiters and clerks will call you sir or ma’am. Social delights, popularity, entertainment, optimism and flirtations arise Monday morning through Wednesday supper time. A number of small glitches might dog you, but you might make some headway Tuesday morning and evening (PDT).  Retreat, rest, contemplate and plan Wednesday night through Friday — everything is tough before Friday; everything works smoothly Friday. Your energy and pizzazz return strongly Saturday. You’ll receive looks of admiration and envy, but remember, someone else’s way or idea might be more valuable than yours this spring time. In other words, you will  gain more reward by serving another then by serving yourself.

THE END.

AFTERAMBLE:

In the early days of this column (1980’s) I used to write, sometimes, that I practised astrology because it was a way to show people that God exists, or at least that something more underlies our ordinary physical lives, which is the first step toward divinity.

Yet now, as I age, I sometimes get angry with God. I feel cheated. I am, as far as I can see, the best predictive astrologer in the world. (If there is anyone better, I’ll be happy to bow.) I predicted the Gulf War, the fall in interest rates after 1980, the great Dow bull market, called the bottom of the last crash and the start of the 1987 crash — and the Challenger Shuttle crash — Chernobyl, AIDS, the blurring of sex roles 1983 onward, the successful Soviet revolution of the ’80’s (and even that it would be bloodless, which it was)… etc.

Yet I have received no recognition from academics, the government, or corporate media (other than local radio, tv and press). Astrology is considered a game, a lifestyle subject, usually reserved for the comics page: it’s hard to overcome that characterization.

As far as I can see, God has no love for prophets; maybe he thinks we’re treading on his turf. But why be jealous of a few myopic, squinty-eyed little prognosticators trying to see through the fog, when he’s omniscient and can see everything to eternity?

Perhaps it has to do with the balance. For example, say astrologers were 90 per cent accurate in predicting the stock market. (They aren’t, or I’m not. I’d estimate only about 60-70% of my market forecasts come true — though I’m 100% on the big moves — 1980,’87, the Feb./March 2009 bottom. Did I not tell you, weeks ago, that March would see a slow-down, even decline, from the December – February rush upward?) If everyone accepted that astrologers did call the market accurately 90% of the time (and if they actually did) then everyone would buy together and everyone would sell together, and the market would become useless. The massive ups and massive downs that resulted would be self-fulfilling prophecies, rather than reactions to exogenous events (economy, wars, news events, etc.). Astrology, by succeeding, would eliminate ambition and risk-taking, and would, in effect, destroy itself.

Perhaps — I say this seriously — astrologers are not meant to meddle in people’s lives — it throws them off their instincts and natural rhythms. But what about the succour and advice astrologers give to those who are needy or sick or assailed by events? I think this is good work, and I have faith that God doesn’t punish us star-gazers when we try to answer the questions of those suffering.  I’m sure I’ve saved a few people from suicide. (One woman phoned me up and said, “I’m drinking Jack Daniels and I’ve got a loaded gun in my hand. Tell me why I shouldn’t shoot myself.”  She’s still living, btw.)

One of the most valuable things astrologers can do is to enlighten, to show a client why that “bad luck” keeps occurring, or when their painful burden or loss will end, or how a person’s misfortune/failure might be their own fault, and could be ended simply by a different approach. I have had clients who have done nothing but fail for 20, 30, 40 years, and, when I do their world maps, we discover that they’ve been living in the worst place on earth for them — their personal swamp. Is it wrong to tell that person that success or happiness or a fair chance at love, is only, say, 1,500 miles away? Yes, it might be wrong.  Say your Mom put you in the corner for bad behaviour, there to stay for 10 minutes — an eternity to a kid, right? Then say I came along after only 10 seconds and lifted you from that corner and said, “Go play.” Would your Mom appreciate that? In this scenario, God/Karma is Mom, ticked off that I interfered with someone’s punishment, when I thought I was just trying to dispel their misery. Yes, I might be wrong to practise astrology.

And I have to admit, God gives me this: all my predictions can be as right as I want, as long as no one believes them. Well, at least that’s something.

Maybe people are meant to deal with their own misery, because that’s their karma (i.e., the result of their past actions) and an astrologer can clumsily interfere with that process, as in the example above. But this hints that no one should help anyone, and that doctors, nurses and therapists defy God, and that God resents humanity’s efforts to succeed.

(The Bible echoes this: think of the Tree of Knowledge in Eden, of the Tower of Babel, etc.

Did you know that our Bible, and Judaism, and Christianity — and patriarchy — come from, basically, Russia — the European and Asian steppes? In a prequel to Genghis Khan, these warring nomads conquered the area around modern Israel, long before the Bible’s existence, and enforced their beliefs on the conquered population. To do this, they mounted a successful campaign against the current belief system, which roughly included a matriarchy with a woman God above all others [in fact she contained the other Gods in her womb, and birthed them when appropriate]. This pre-Jewish civilization believed in, probably even “created” the belief in, the Garden of Eden, but saw the snake as a benevolent divine being, the strongest God besides the Mother God, and her consort. [Too obvious to mention: female creator – birther; male knowledge – logic. The world needs both. — And the snake, of course, is also a penis.] There was no evil in their Eden. The invaders from the steppes portrayed the snake as evil, and created the idea of original sin, erring humanity, and a wrathful, punishing God. They turned the Mother God into the Whore of Babylon and made women speechless second class citizens. [These warriors’ influence might explain why the Old Testament promotes xenophobia and genocide, instructing the Israelites to kill — to literally wipe out — neighbouring tribes/nations. These fascist, Hitler-like attitudes were corrected by Christ, two millennia after the invaders had long gone….yet these problems with “other believers”/other nations  still plague modern Israel.]

Before the invaders, the (pre)Israelites and the tribes/nations around them believed that mankind was good, life and divinity were benevolent, and the garden of Eden was both an epitome and spiritual expression of life, but was also, to a degree, where they lived. “Sin” was created, not by God, not by those counted as “sinners,” but by the conquerors, who believed in misery and punishment, especially for the conquered. In fact our Bible might reflect, not the word of God, but instructions on how to behave from the plains warriors who conquered the Middle East, instructions from the conquerors to the conquered.  Even today, we see religion as a set of rules we must obey; it is still being used as a means to “control the masses.” How different life might have been in the 21st century had those nomadic warriors kept to themselves!)

I mentioned clients in need. Of course, there are happy clients, too — especially the wishful ones. I once thought and still partly believe that most clients come to me through wishful thinking — they want to know when love and fortune will come.  But in a very significant way, too complex to outline or support here, helping the needy is the same thing as helping the happy and wishful.

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