The Future: "like the present only longer"

Wikipedia tells that: January (in Latin, Ianuarius) is named after the Latin word for door (ianua), since January is the door to the year and an opening to new beginnings. The month is conventionally thought of as being named after Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology, but according to ancient Roman farmers' almanacs Juno was the tutelary deity [guardian, protector, patron] of the month.


In the mythology of ancient Rome, Janus, god of new beginnings was associated with doors and gates, and first steps. Janus is usually depicted as having two faces, looking in opposite directions. In one legend, Saturn bestows upon him the ability to see both the past and the future.

"I have seen the future and it is very much like the present, only longer."

~Kehlog Albran, The Profit

Predictions, predictions...how many come true? Not many, in my experience, at least not in the time scale of a year. Over a period of 5 or 10 years, some of the wider ranging ones come true, but in a mere 12 months, it's unlikely. Narrower predictions, relating to individuals, "celebrities", politicians are often just good guesses; most of us could take a stab at such predictions, if sufficiently interested.

For a fun read, prediction-wise, try the following: Man Claiming to Be Time Traveler Makes Fascinating Predictions About 2019,
by Sherene Buffa. Some of the predictions stretch much further into the future than 2019 - it's all very sci-fi.

Lots of it is quite silly, but I rather like one prediction for 2019: that there will be more UFO sightings which cannot be dismissed as fake, or as weather balloons, or whatever.

Be prepared for UFO sightings in January 2019
Noah specifically states that HUGE, massive UFO sightings will start to hit in the new year. And they do not look fake — which is why we will begin to believe what we see.

The "time traveller" also claims that the biggest snowstorm in history will hit the Midwest in February. He says multiple cities will be “wiped out” by this storm. Well, winter is winter, climate change threatens, so this prediction isn't too way out. Travelling to the future wasn't strictly necessary to predict something of this nature.

We can only hope that this claim of the time traveller does not come true:

On November 3, 2020 — President Trump will serve a second term in office.

For a more level-headed piece on future, far-flung, possibilities do go read the answer written by Robert Blevins, at Quora to this question:

What is something that is science fiction today that we could see in the next 20 years?

2015 - More of the Same ?

It seemed to me, more than usual, that on reading some psychic and astrological predictions for 2015 those doing the predicting are not being very brave this year. Or perhaps the reason is that the only appropriate overall prediction is really "more of the same"...but that's boring, so writers pad it out with more, and different, words!





We can be 99.9% certain that the world will continue to heat up a wee bit more during the coming year. Winter will prove a little more extreme temperature-wise . Climate upset is very gradual, at times hardly noticeable unless one can clearly look back some 40 years or so.

More of the same.

Troubles in the Middle East will continue...they always have, and always will. Flashpoint and cast members may change, but sadly "the song remains the same".

More of the same.

US politicians will remain mostly in gridlock.

More of the same.

Some economies will teeter , some water and food shortages will arise.

More of the same.

In the USA many and varied distractions will fill online websites, TV talk shows, blogs and newspapers, often pushing what's truly important to a stray forgotten paragraph, buried.

More of the same.

Some "celeb" or other will utter non-PC commentary, or undue criticism of some other "celeb", or have a wardrobe malfunction, or write a book or make a film in inordinately bad taste, and thereby cause a momentary furor in social media, while achieving lots of free publicity for themselves.

More of the same.

Facebook and other social media sites will continue to leech readers from blogs until their lifeblood all but dries up - but some bloody-minded bloggers will continue scribbling - and more strength to 'em!

More of the same.

What I hope will definitely NOT be more of the same:

Passenger aircraft missing without trace, or being shot down, or crashing for any reason - all lives lost, as in 2014's three tragedies: MH370, MH17 & Air Asia 8501.


A sorely needed change I hope might happen:

Drone use and torture will begin to be seriously discredited, through public opposition to both, as well as to police violence against civilians.

Up Mystery Creek ...with a table and no paddle

Your heart's desire is to be told some mystery. The mystery is that there is no mystery.
~ Cormac McCarthy, "Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West".

Husband, during a chat about his grandparents, whom he hardly knew, described a stray memory he has retained, involving his grandmother - and his mother. In his childhood, one evening, they took him along to a family gathering; it'd have been sometime in the mid to late-1940s. The gathering took place in a long room lit by rows of old fashioned camping lamps. About a dozen relatives were there, seated around a very large circular wooden table - of the style with one huge central "stem" holding up the tabletop. Husband, and the rest of his relatives were asked to place their finger-tips of both hands on the table top. His mother told him he must think hard on the words, "Table lift !...Table lift!" He still recalls that he squeezed his eyes closed and concentrated very hard on those words of command.

The table lifted.

Coming from husband, I found this a strange story. He has, and as far as he knew his mother had, no interest whatsoever in such things as spiritualism, the mysteries, psychic phenomena...even astrology (pshaw!)

After typing that, I searched and found a video depicting one such experiment. This one was conducted by a professional magician. A few commenters on this video have the trick solved, it appears. If a similar thing had happened in the case of husband's childhood experience, he must have had a magician and assistant among his relatives!

I have no such tabular experience to relate, though I've always had an interest in mysteries of all kinds.

Excerpt from a June 2008 post:

In my younger years, in the UK, I experimented with spiritualism, attended several different spiritualist churches and meetings. I was moderately interested in it all, but not sufficiently so to continue the experiment for more than a year or two. I do understand its attraction, but it just wasn't right for me. One side of me was drawn to it while the other side remained too doubtful to accept it.

I remember an occasion, when working in a previously unvisited part of the UK, I sought out a spiritualist church, attended an evening meeting. Several of the congregation eyed me with suspicion, making me feel decidedly uncomfortable. After the meeting members approached me and asked if I was representing some monitoring or "watchdog" body from a governing association. I immediately set them straight. The incident did bring home to me how insecure the people felt. I doubt that established traditional churches have watchdogs monitoring their proceedings. It's an example of how people who follow ideas and beliefs outside the mainstream can feel vulnerable. I guess this kind of thing can happen to professional astrologers too.

And, from 2012, which was part of a re-posted item from 2007
(blogs have cycles too!):

Any evidence to prove to me that certain areas of mystery, such as clairvoyance, using crystal ball, tarot, spirit world, etc. have actual validity, has been scant, but there have been a few scattered experiences of that nature - albeit spanning a very long period. These have been just sufficient that I can't quite close the door, and my mind, on the idea that there is something mysterious going on, other than human wishful thinking and vivid imaginations. For instance, I can find no logical explanation for any of these:

1 ~~~ A tarot reader, who was probably also a medium in the 1960s, in Devonshire, UK, told me that someone was speaking to her, and that he had a peculiar way of using the expression "it was real" in his conversation (meaning that something was very good). I immediately recognised this person. He wasn't anyone close, simply an acquaintance, but his idiosyncratic way of using the word "real" always used to amuse me. He had died in a car accident some years before. I hadn't even thought about this person much, but was very surprised to recognise him immediately from the reader's description.

2 ~~~ Many years ago (1970s), I persuaded my late partner to accompany me to a spirtualist meeting. The speaker there pointed to him during the meeting and said, "Do you know Peter, wearing RAF uniform?" He gasped, "Yes". "Well, he is saluting you", the speaker said. I knew already that my late partner had had a close friend called Peter, in his youth, during WW2, in the Royal Airforce. Their plane was shot down over France and they escaped together. Sadly, Peter's wife had been unfaithful while he was away in the forces, and he commited suicide just after the war ended.

3 ~~~ Many Moons ago, when I was still a young teenager, a fortune-teller told my mother that I would marry someone "from over the sea, and end my days abroad". That wouldn't sound too unusual nowadays, but in the 1950s before air travel was common, computers still unheard of, it was extraordinary! Anyway, the prediction has been vindicated three times. The second time wasn't a marriage, but a 33 year relationship. # 1 husband was from Italy. # 2 from Northern Ireland. # 3 current husband is American. And here I am, ending my days abroad (hopefully not too quickly). I'm pretty sure that this wasn't what's known as "a self-fulfilling prophecy". I did harbour thoughts of retiring to Spain, which might have been seen as such, I guess. I never could have envisioned what actually did happen!

4 ~~~ A fortune teller told me, back in 1973 or thereabouts, that there would be 3 men in my life. I was already aware of two - an ex-husband and a current partner. This prediction worried me for a long time. I took it as a sign that I'd somehow lose my partner. I did, but not for another 30 years! Then # 3 appeared.

Nature, at times leaves footprints of its inverted sense of humor leaving only hope to laugh at its mysterious humor.
~ Rangam Thoitak Chiru

NOTE ~~~ Our air conditioning system bit the dust yesterday - hottest day of the year too: 100* and likely to stay that way for at least 2 or 3 more days! Posts could be intermittent for a while, until we can get system replaced (Yikes!) We will probably de-camp to a motel shortly, my northern blood protests too much, can't think straight! Perhaps we'll take a wee trip while husband's A/C expert son does the necessary for us. Haven't decided yet where or when. We'll have a laptop with us, so maybe I'll scribble something here and there.

Shapes of Things

Here we are again, standing in the doorway of another calendar year, peering through the mist on the other side to discover what awaits us. As in previous years some of us, most of us, maybe even all of us - manage to get it wrong. Whatever method of peering through future's mist is used, all that can truly be discerned are vague shadows and shapes.

Shapes of things before my eyes
Just teach me to despise
Will time make man more wise
Here within my lonely frame
My eyes just hurt my brain
But will it seem the same

From an old song sung by the Yardbirds, long ago in 1965

Examples of some failed and forgotten 2013 psychic predictions - where "shapes" must've been interpreted wrongly, are listed at a website called Relatively Interesting

Some of the best predictions in any year have come from science fiction or speculative fiction writers, though these focus their sights much further into the future than the next 12 months. For instance, in 1964 Isaac Asimov offered his guess at what might be found if one set foot inside a mythical 2014 World’s Fair. Bringing his talent for envisioning future technology into play, Asimov’s predictions from 50 years ago are weirdly accurate. See HERE for detail of what he got right or almost right.

Mundane astrology can give indication of "atmospheres" prevailing in any given time span, but not of actual events. During the late spring of 2014, there's an astro-indication of some kind of increased and ongoing tension. Around late April, four planets (Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto) in cardinal signs (Aries/Cancer/Libra/Capricorn) all at around 13 degrees will form what's known as a Grand Cross. This is is made up of planets forming four square (90 degree) aspects to one another, and two 180 degree oppositions. It is thought to indicate, in mundane astrology, times of long-term tension, occasional confrontations, general feelings of discomfort, anger and the facing of challenges. Business as usual then? For more detail, I recommend astrologer Bill Herbst's articles on this. He offers down to earth and all encompassing information on mundane implications of the upcoming Grand Cross for the USA, and general astro-indications for the 2010 decade as a whole in his pdf essays listed and linked on his website. The two articles from 2013 and the first in the 2012 list are most relevant.

At the end of December 2012 a post of mine, "The future Isn't What it Used to Be" may (or may not) have carried some insights for 2013, including my own effort, arrived at via my Tarot deck. The 3 cards I drew in December 2012, in order were:
10 of Swords/5 of Coins/The Moon.
In a nutshell: bottoming out/hard times/anxiety, confusion, misapprehension.
Very vague, though not far off the mark, a similar prediction could apply to just about any year during the last decade.

For 2014 I've drawn 3 Tarot cards, in order they are:
The Devil, The Hierophant and 6 of Cups. First two cards are of the Major Arcana so carry most weight. I've tried to work out the right interpretation for this particular contextof a year's prediction for the nation or for the world at large. Other interpretations, for different contexts, are listed HERE .

The Devil: accepting an unpleasant and unwanted situation, choosing to stay in the dark, in ignorance while over-indulging the senses and focusing on the material. Thinking negatively about the future.

The Hierophant: Seeking some kind of belief system, conforming to its rules. Adapting and fitting in as part of the Establishment and/or some institutionalised organisation.

6 of cups is a strange card to find here, bearing in mind the first two! It usually indicates something child-like with feelings of nostalgia for the past.

So... I'd guess that things will remain much as as they are at present for most of the coming year. People will prefer to remain "in the dark" about much that is wrong, even though they are aware of it on some level. The majority will fit in, go along to get along, even while experiencing feelings of nostalgia for better times in the past.

On another level, The Hierophant card might represent the Pope, who has been quite outspoken recently - perhaps he'll continue this, or be even more outspoken about some crucial issue during 2014?

Any alternative thoughts or predictions, on these cards, or generally will be very welcome.

No matter how the 2014 cookie crumbles.....

Minding Our Progress

Our great contemporary scientific geniuses are to be admired, one of these, Raymond Kurzweil about whom there's an archived post HERE - was mentioned in a piece at HuffPo's Science section this week, by Tanya Lewis: Mind Uploading' & Digital Immortality May Be Reality By 2045, Futurists Say. ...SNIPS:

NEW YORK — By 2045, humans will achieve digital immortality by uploading their minds to computers — or at least that's what some futurists believe. This notion formed the basis for the Global Futures 2045 International Congress, a futuristic conference held here June 14-15................................
By 2045, "based on conservative estimates of the amount of computation you need to functionally simulate a human brain, we'll be able to expand the scope of our intelligence a billion-fold," Kurzweil said...............................

Mind uploading~~~~The conference took a surreal turn when Martine Rothblatt — a lawyer, author and entrepreneur, and CEO of biotech company United Therapeutics Corp. — took the stage. Even the title of Rothblatt's talk was provocative: "The Purpose of Biotechnology is the End of Death."

Rothblatt introduced the concept of "mindclones" — digital versions of humans that can live forever. She described how the mind clones are created from a "mindfile," a sort of online repository of our personalities, which she argued humans already have (in the form of Facebook, for example). This mindfile would be run on "mindware," a kind of software for consciousness. "The first company that develops mindware will have [as much success as] a thousand Googles," Rothblatt said. But would such a mindclone be alive? Rothblatt thinks so. She cited one definition of life as a self-replicating code that maintains itself against disorder. Some critics have shunned what Rothblatt called "spooky Cartesian dualism," arguing that the mind must be embedded in biology. On the contrary, software and hardware are as good as wet ware, or biological materials, she argued. Rothblatt went on to discuss the implications of creating mindclones. Continuity of the self is one issue, because your persona would no longer inhabit just a biological body. Then, there are mind-clone civil rights, which would be the "cause célèbre" for the 21st century, Rothblatt said. Even mindclone procreation and reanimation after death were mentioned.

That's all very "skiffy". If predictions by would-be futurists from the past are anything to go by the date 2045, a mere 32 years ahead, will be found to have been decidedly optimistic. But in any case, is this the kind of thing the best and brightest scientific brains on the planet ought to be focusing on? How about lending a few genius-tinted thoughts to climate change, water shortages, new power sources? We need the best and brightest minds on these right now.

I'm the last one to criticise the human urge towards progress, but it does depend in which direction the progress would seem to be heading. A few with more fluent pens than mine have said something along those lines:

“Some upstarts always try to get closer to the source of creation by ascending to the source's level. The story of Icarus is of course a parable about the folly of such an effort. Get too close to the sun and your hubris will get you burned. Yet in the eyes of twenty-first-century capitalist culture, which worships at the twin altars of the individual and technology, Icarus had initiative. And his melted wings do not represent some deep character flaw; he just needed better beta testers.”
― Marcus Wohlsen, Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life.



“Progress is something with no pity, and no purpose. It just happens. It chews up all you ever knew, and spits out things you can't understand, and the only value it seems to have is to make a few people a lot of money.”
― Spider Robinson, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon.



“We have laboured long to build a heaven, only to find it populated with horrors.”
― Alan Moore, Watchmen.



“The farther you go, however, the harder it is to return. The world has many edges, and it's easy to fall off.”
― Anderson Cooper.



“After the monkeys came down from the trees and learned to hurl sharp objects, they had had to move into caves for protection--not only from the big predatory cats but, as they began to lose their monkey fur, from the elements. Eventually, they started transposing their hunting fantasies onto cave walls in the form of pictures, first as an attempt at practical magic and later for the strange, unexpected pleasure they discovered in artistic creation.
Time passed. Art came off the walls and turned into ritual. Ritual became religion. Religion spawned science. Science led to big business. And big business, if it continues on its present mindless, voracious trajectory, could land those of us lucky enough to survive its ultimate legacy back into caves again.”
― Tom Robbins, Villa Incognito.



“It would be advisable to think of progress in the crudest, most basic terms: that no one should go hungry anymore, that there should be no more torture, no more Auschwitz. Only then will the idea of progress be free from lies.”
― Theodor W. Adorno

PREDICTION ~ "The future isn't what it used to be !"

As we saunter sheepishly up to the gates of 2013 predictions are in the air, not as thickly layered as I've seen in the past, but still around.

NOTE: In the mythology of ancient Rome, Janus was the god of new beginnings. He was associated with doors and gates, and first steps. Janus is usually depicted as having two faces, looking in opposite directions. In one legend, Saturn bestows upon him the ability to see both the past and the future. The month of January is named in his honor.

Samples of of prediction for 2013 below include non-astrological, non-psychic, psychic, tarot and astrological forecasts, with my own pick of the crop from each:

From THE FUTURIST
My pick

#10. A handheld "breathalyzer" will offer early detection of infections microbes and even chemical attacks.

The Single Breath Disease Diagnostics Breathalyzer under development at Stony Brook University would use sensor chips coated with nanowires to detect chemical compounds that may indicate the presence of diseases or infectious microbes. In the future, a handheld device could let you detect a range of risks, from lung cancer to anthrax exposure.

From the blog of John W. Smart

#10. The stream of young people leaving Facebook becomes a flood as the middle-aged Gen X takeover becomes overwhelming. Facebook stock tanks. Then the Gen xers exit Facebook too.

PS: Some commenters there also have concerns about Hillary Clinton - a health issue? That had crossed my mind too, so thought I'd mention it here.



From WORLD PREDICTIONS blog

Psychic predictions by Eric Leigh-Pink who began communicating with spirits as a child and predicted many events for his family and friends. I'm not keen on psychic predictions in general, but the author of this blog struck me as someone striving to be careful and helpful. He goes back to try to link his visions to events, and to understand the symbolism he's being given for future reference. See what you think.

One of his latest "visions" intrigued me:

A visual of the US flag, then one star begins to glow.

I haven't yet found many astrologers' general 2013 predictions, here are a couple to be going on with:

From Astro Cocktail:

John Townley at Astro Cocktail writes about Jupiter's place in 2013 - see the introduction from the link above, then follow Mr. Townley's link at "four whole years of generous Jupiter".

Astrologer Ed Tamplin has some information I found interesting:

Scroll down to section headed World on the Brink where he describes a Yod forming in 2013: two sextiled planets both linked by 150 degree quincunx aspects to a third planet. Planets involved are Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn sextiled, with Jupiter in Gemini at the apex. Mr Tamplin tells us that "to find this trio in a similar formation we have to star trek back to May 19 1989" when the only difference was that Saturn and Pluto were in reverse positions to now, sign-wise....."But as this has only happened once across the entire last century, it is worthwhile taking a look at." Civil unrest, revolution and also high drama in Chinese, Soviet and US politics accompanied that Yod.

Finally ~

Unwisely, perhaps, I dug out the tarot deck, concentrated, shuffled & cut the cards and and asked, "What do I need to know about world events in 2013?"
The 3 cards I drew, in order:
10 of Swords/5 of Coins/The Moon.
In a nutshell: bottoming out/hard times/anxiety, confusion, misapprehension.
For more detail on card meanings the best place is the Learn Tarot website - the "Cards" section.

A Communal Sigh

Soon the USA will be able to heave a communal sigh of relief that, for election year 2012, "alea iacta est" (the die has been cast). Several astrologers have predicted that it'll not be as clear cut as that saying might imply though, and for a variety of astrological reasons.

For anyone deeply into astrology who hasn't yet read Chris Brennan's excellent "Roundup" post at The Political Astrology Blog, detailing the method and conclusions of a long list of online astrologers on the result of the coming election, I highly recommend taking a look at it it.

That post led me to one by Eric Francis, whose work is always a reliably good and informative read: Mercury Retrograde Election Day at Huffington Post. A couple of important, non-astrological, points to bear in mind from Eric Francis's piece:

Behind the facade of ideology is the fact that "the business of America is business," and I don't mean the local ice cream shop. I mean the companies that can afford to buy elections -- and I mean the business of war. All the political shenanigans we witness have one end, really -- the perpetuation of constant war.

But voting is not enough. It is absolutely not enough. Not now -- and not ever. Question what you see and hear in the media. Question your own opinions. Educate others about what you learn. Use every tool at your disposal to get the word out. Take a personal stand and refuse to believe lies, and refuse to be manipulated. Research the truth yourself, and try to figure out what's really going on. Yes, Mercury will be retrograde, and it may be hard to get to the bottom of things. But astrology is no excuse.

An apt piece of poetry:

Election Day
by Ambrose Bierce

Despots effete upon tottering thrones
Unsteadily poised upon dead men's bones,
Walk up! walk up! the circus is free,
And this wonderful spectacle you shall see:
Millions of voters who mostly are fools--
Demagogues' dupes and candidates' tools,
Armies of uniformed mountebanks,
And braying disciples of brainless cranks.
Many a week they've bellowed like beeves,
Bitterly blackguarding, lying like thieves,
Libeling freely the quick and the dead
And painting the New Jerusalem red.
Tyrants monarchical--emperors, kings,
Princes and nobles and all such things--
Noblemen, gentlemen, step this way:
There's nothing, the Devil excepted, to pay,
And the freaks and curios here to be seen
Are very uncommonly grand and serene.
No more with vivacity they debate,
Nor cheerfully crack the illogical pate;
No longer, the dull understanding to aid,
The stomach accepts the instructive blade,
Nor the stubborn heart learns what is what
From a revelation of rabbit-shot;
And vilification's flames--behold!
Burn with a bickering faint and cold.
Magnificent spectacle!--every tongue
Suddenly civil that yesterday rung
(Like a clapper beating a brazen bell)
Each fair reputation's eternal knell;
Hands no longer delivering blows,
And noses, for counting, arrayed in rows.

Walk up, gentlemen--nothing to pay--
The Devil goes back to Hell to-day.

DRONES & PREDICTIONS

During Monday's presidential debate (the last of the season) the topic of drone warfare was mentioned but skated over with no in-depth discussion, and both candidates voicing support. It was from an unlikely source that essential comment has come: Joe Scarborough, a former Republican member of Congress who hosts a morning political talk-show. Please note Democrat-supporting Joe Klein's stance on the matter!




As Glen Greenwald has writtten HERE:

Obama has led all sorts of progressives and other Democrats to be the most vocal supporters of unrestrained aggression, secret assassinations, and "crippling" the Iranian people with sanctions. It is completely unsurprising that the most sociopathic defense of drones comes from one of the most committed Obama supporters, and that it's now left to a former GOP Congressman to raise objections. As much as anything, that is the Obama legacy.

And, as William Astore wrote in his piece America Lost Last Night's Presidential Debate

The U.S. will continue to escalate drone strikes on assassination missions of dubious legality, all in the name of killing the bad guys. Neither candidate bothered to address civilian casualties, blowback, or whether they accept the right of other countries to launch their own drones on assassination missions. (In this case I'm guessing that imitation by China or Russia or Iran would not be considered the sincerest form of flattery.)

For anyone keen on election predictions there's a page at a blog called The Moderate Voice: Real Psychic Predictions 2012 - Politics and More (updated October 2012).

Having scrambled through it, I'm no wiser, but it was fun!

I decided to fish out my tarot deck from the back of a drawer where it has rested for quite some time, undisturbed. Shuffled, mentally asking, "Who will be the next president of the USA?" Drew 3 cards. 6 of Swords, 8 of Rods, Ace of Cups. I'd rather hoped to see one of the royal cards emerge, but my tarot deck is in enigmatic mood....it ain't sayin'. Yet those three cards seem to me to offer a reassuring omen indicating that things will not be nearly as bad as many expect or are predicting, whether President Obama retains his hold on the White House, or Gov. Romney takes over. In view of the opening topic of this post, it's hard to be convinced.

6 of Swords = a moving away from danger. 8 of Rods is a card of movement - swiftness, completion, fulfillment, progress and action. Ace of Cups represents the start of something good and positive. I was surprised to see these cards emerge - really! But emerge they did. I guess each person could interpret them as an indication that their own chosen candidate will win. I have no chosen candidate, so the message for me is that whatever happens, the outcome of the 2012 election will not turn out to have been disastrous for the country and the world.

Gut-feeling: I've thought for a while that the President will gain another 4 years in power because, of the two candidates, he's in a better position to be able to get done what The True Powers That Be need to be done. He will be Their preference. With Romney in the White House there'd be heavy opposition from the left against certain propositions which The Powers That Be see as essential. Obama has the left tamed, therefore he is, as one writer has put it "the more effective evil". Absent a landslide for Romney, which isn't likely, I'm sure there are ways and means to tweak a close-run thing so that the desired result is obtained.

Pluto's Transit of Capricorn ~ Getting Into the Groove?

Are we standing far enough back yet to discover how Pluto's transit of Capricorn is manifesting ? Inspecting a large oil painting up close, one sees nothing but wild brush strokes, a jumble of colours, stand well back and a clear picture emerges. Astrology in life is like that. Not many of us want to believe it though. We want to see prompt results for planetary transits and major moves.

Pluto moved from Sagittarius into Capricorn in 2008. We have more than three years of evidence now. But three years years isn't a lot, isn't enough. Pluto's Capricorn transit will continue until 2024 - more than 12 years still to go! We've hardly scratched the surface yet. Are there any broad clues available though. Are we "in the groove"?

Before the transit began many astrologers offered predictions of what the new astro-era would mean for the world. Pluto is known as the transformational planet (or dwarf planet, or whatever). Capricorn is the cardinal Earth sign linked to business, structure, tradition. Not surprisingly most early predictions indicated changes to the structure of society, consolidation of corporate power, upheaval of the status quo and traditional institutions, political or religious.

What we've seen during the past three years is starting to match those early predictions. Banks (institutions) in trouble; "Arab Spring" a challenge to tradition in the middle-east; the strengthening of corporate power on government in the USA and in other parts of the developed world; a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico might, in time, have outcomes and restrictions as yet not envisaged by the general public; earthquakes and tsunami in Japan - likewise. We are at the start of a path now, these factors are only stepping stones, or clues as to the direction in which the path will eventually take us.

In January 2008 Australian-based astrologer Douglas Parker made a good clear assessment of what Pluto in Capricorn has meant historically, and what he considers it will mean for us in the future, at his website. See the section headed Pluto in Capricorn


I've picked a handful from his list of predictions, and added comments of my own:

Massive popular revolts are likely to occur in countries, that will shake the very foundations of government and power of those countries.(This one is working out well, so far!)

There will be a Peoples Revolution against Big Business and the way in which governments function. Laws will be written to control the power of BIG business. (This is the one I'm waiting for. Bring it on!!)

Massive volcanic eruption, possibly in January 2020, causing global climate change for several years is possible. If not, massive, devastating earthquake activity is possible, as are tsunamis. Global climate change shocks will become apparent between 2008 and 2023. (We can already see some evidence of this one coming to pass)

Some of the greatest Empires in history were born or destroyed with Pluto in Capricorn. A great country will be formed or will begin to crumble into dust during this time. Also some of the great conquerors, like William the Conqueror and Napoleon, were born in this time. So a warrior leader with gigantic power will be born in this time. (Interesting. We shall see!)

The greatest explorers in history set out with Pluto in Capricorn. Last time it was James Cook, The time before that it was Magellan. This time another great explorer will write his name into history before 2023. (Will he/she be a space explorer, I wonder, or an explorer beneath the oceans, or into another dimension? Exciting!)

Another great Golden Age in the history of Music and Art is beginning. (I'm not feeling it yet!)

Thank you Mr. Parker. Good job! We do appear to be "in the groove".

What's absolutely certain, is that by the end of Pluto's journey through the sign of Capricorn the world will have changed, just as it has changed since Pluto moved from Scorpio to Sagittarius in 1996. During the period 1996 to 2008 my own, personal, world underwent transformation in every respect. Nothing, not a single thing, is the same for me now as it was then. I may not be around to see Pluto move from Capricorn into Aquarius in 2024, but do hope to see some indication of how things will turn out, before my final exit. I hope it'll turn out to be, as they used to say back in the '60s, "Groovy man!"

NEW YEAR

New Year's Eve and prediction is the name of the game!

First, a few predictions picked from writers at the National Review Online, non-astrological of course. I realised, after reading the full list of predictions there from several different writers, that the site is avidly right-wing in orientation. Never mind! The two selections chosen are fairly light, largely non-political, some tongue-in-cheek.

At the end of this post I've added my own 3-card tarot reading for 2011. I shall leave astrological predictions to the many others who are better qualified in that respect.


From John Derbyshire, who is a contributor editor of National Review:

Numerology: People will make a great fuss about 11/11/11.

Vocabulary: The word “austerity” will be heard a lot.

The culture: Obsessive texting on tiny communication gadgets will become so widespread that at some moment in some daylight hour of 2011, nobody in the U.S.A. will be speaking to anyone else.

Foreign affairs: One country will leave the euro, probably Germany.

China will begin visibly to turn the corner from Wirtschaftswunder to 東亞病夫 (Sick Man of Asia) as all the rising graphs start to flatten out. Environmental degradation, class resentments, demographic cratering, corruption, and fiscal reality will gain ground over resource development, embourgeoisement, entrepreneurial energy, Party authority, and grandiose government projects. Just a beginning, nothing very dramatic: a big-city demonstration out of control here, a local food or water crisis there, some high-profile corruption trials, continuing intractable price inflation …

Leadership: Barack Obama will turn 50, the age at which Confucius said he knew the will of Heaven.

From Jonah Goldberg , an editor-at-large of National Review Online.

Guantanamo Bay prison will not be closed.

Fidel Castro will die.

Europe’s financial crisis will get far worse. At least one country will actively try to leave the Euro, causing a major political crisis.

China will experience a major economic correction, causing global concern over Chinese political stability.

A rise in global food prices will create an international crisis.

There will be no major international global-warming agreements.

My predictions for 2012 will have a lot more jokes.

AND......... my 3-card tarot draw asking "What do I need to know about 2011 with regard to the world at large?"

The 3 cards that emerged after a good shuffle and cut were a little surprising and a little reassuring. No card from the Major Arcana appeared, which is a prediction in itself really. Nothing terribly good - but nothing terribly bad. Nothing world-shattering in 2011.

The 3 cards drawn:
8 of CUPS
PAGE/PRINCESS of WANDS
6 of CUPS

With 3 cards like these before the reader it's extra important to focus on context and avoid trite keywordy interpretations. Gotta think in terms of the essence at the heart of the cards' meanings and try to place that in context of the question asked.
Also to be borne in mind is that tarot can, occasionally, throw up an answer which relates to a single specific event, rather than one relating to a span of time, adding another layer of fog to clear when trying to untangle the message.

8 of Cups - traditional keywords: abandonment, moving on emotionally, a journey etc.
The suit of Cups represent emotion (as does element of Water in astrology). The 8s in tarot represent movement but also balance. 8 is an even number, the figure 8 is balanced symbol. The 7s which came immediately before represent aspects of imbalance, so the movement to 8 signifies a search for balance. In the world's current situation never has a search for balance been more crucial! Ecologically and politically EVERYTHING is out of balance. So the first card shows that a moving-on away from what is will indeed occur - somehow or other!

Page or Princess of Wands - odd one to interpret in this context. Wands represent the element of Fire, and creativity. Pages/Princesses are the "children" of the Court Cards. They can represent an actual person, male or female, who will become extra significant in some way in the context of the question - or an atmosphere of creativity, a new innocence (as in the innocence of the young). In our present context I'm going for an interpretation of this Page/Princess as a person who will come to the fore during the next 12 months. A person of great enthusiasm and drive but exhibiting a certain naive tactlessness, carelessness but with plenty of charm and charisma. If this is someone we already recognise, I'd go for figures such as Sarah Palin or Julian Assange.....but in the world at large, not just in the USA/European scene. There will be many more possibilities who would fit the bill, known now or unknown. How about the son of North Korea's Kim Jong Il for instance? Hmmmmm!

6 of Cups -traditional keyword for this card is nostalgia. Cups = emotion, again. The 6s are, like the 8s (and 4s) cards of balance. So in the current context 6 Cups must mean that the effort of 8 Cups to move away from trouble/imbalance has been at least partially successful, but has left some feelings of nostalgia and longing for the past (with all its warts and blemishes?)

An alternative interpretation of 6 Cups, when in tandem with the Page/Princess card (both have a "young" feel to them): this might be an indication of someone who is youngish and has been very significant in the past, returning to take an important place at centre stage - in some area or in some nation, but carrying international significance.

The overall "feel" of the 3 cards together is that 2011 will turn out to be quite an emotional 12 months, with a fairly youthful figure coming to the fore, who will later turn out to be of some significance in the world.



When it comes, where you are:

Astrologers' Words of Wisdom (NOT)

A reversal, today, of the usual Words of Wisdom series. This was inspired by a second-hand book I found on our recent trip: The Book of Predictions by David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace & Irving Wallace (1981). It's a book of over 500 pages with lots of fun and interesting stuff, though material on astrologers' predictions is sparse. I shall no doubt return to it in future to find more grist for the bloggy mill.

Here's something astro-related to be going on with:

In June of 1523 a group of London astrologers concurred that the end of the world would begin with the destruction of London by a deluge on February 1524. Because so many astrologers agreed with this prediction people accepted it as fact. By the middle of January at least 20,000 had left their London homes for the higher ground of Kent and Essex. The prior of St. Bartholomew's even went so far as to build a fortress at Harrow-on-the-Hill and stock it with a two-month supply of food. February 1 arrived and nothing happened. The next day astrologers re-examined their figures and discovered a tiny error in their calculations. It was 1624 - not 1524 - that the world was to end.

What a difference a year didn't make!

Out of curiosity I looked up 1 February 1624 in the on-line ephemeris at Khaldea but didn't see anything world-shatteringly significant. Astrologers were not aware of the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) in those days, so it couldn't be related to the fact that Saturn and Uranus were conjoined in Leo, trining Mars in Aries and square to Pluto in Taurus. Hmmmm - perhaps they found something nasty using an ancient system such as Arabic Parts - Sun/Moon/Ascendant positions and mathematics are involved; or perhaps more likely, some close alignment of a malignant Fixed Star with certain planets.

Will 2010 be Annus Horribilis for the USA?

It's traditional for astrologers to make predictions at the start of a new year, but now we have a Russian academic, a Professor Igor Panarin, getting in on the act.

In a Wall Street Journal article by Andrew Osborn (read it HERE) we are told that the good professor expects that in mid-2010 the United States will disintegrate, eventually becoming four separate countries. He puts a 55%-45% likelihood on his prediction - which is, if you think about it no prediction at all. I could say "I predict that in April 2010 alien beings from another galaxy will make contact with Earth, it's a 55% to 45% chance!" That would be just as valid as the prof's visions.

I've borrowed the professor's USA map. Passing readers can see what the future, Panarin-style might hold for them.

"There's a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur," he says. "One could rejoice in that process," he adds, poker-faced. "But if we're talking reasonably, it's not the best scenario -- for Russia." Though Russia would become more powerful on the global stage, he says, its economy would suffer because it currently depends heavily on the dollar and on trade with the U.S.

Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.

The Professor doesn't detail exactly how he comes to this conclusion. I wonder if he's a closet astrologer. 2010 has been pinpointed by several astrologers as a "bad year", but hardly bad enough for the complete disintegration of the USA. The professor might have carried more credibility had he stated that his prediction could occur, say, "within the next 50 years" - but 2010? No. Too soon.

Do Russians do irony? I suspect they do.

Professor Panarin is looking for some quick, cheap publicity, in my opinion. Many in Russia would gloat over the thought of his prediction coming true, it will stir up interest, enough perhaps for a soon to be written book?

Here's an astrologer's take on the 2010 situation from Astrobarry at his blog dated 25 November 2008, HERE :

Extract

Meanwhile, by the middle of 2010, Uranus finds his way to the Pisces-Aries cusp… crossing over it while under the sway of his square with Pluto, a mega-astro-affair that stays within 5-degree orb through 2017. And as if that weren't enough, Jupiter also ends up in Aries by mid-2010—just in time to add extra electrifying energy to the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto t-square.

The exaggerated effect of Jupiter conjunct Uranus near the Aries Point (the first degree of Aries, and the beginning of a new zodiac cycle) is like the turbo-charged icing on the cake that ensures 2010 will be a memorable year. The addition of Jupiter, an expansive presence, to Uranus's side of the delicate Saturn-Uranus balance can't help but tip the scales away from Saturn-in-Libra's steady moderating influence…and toward the sudden, irrational, explosive 'power to the people' movement birthed by Uranus in Aries. Jupiter also boosts Uranus's liberating ferocity in his square-off with Pluto, fueling the fire of its 'war of independence' against the overlords of global capitalism that seek to keep the underclasses in their place.

2010 might well manifest as Annus Horribilis for some - especially for the USA's Fat Cats Inc., but for the rank and file of us, it'll likely pass much like any other year. There'll a few lightning strikes, a lot of hot air, both natural and man-made, the Sun will continue to rise and the Moon make her monthly cycles. To borrow from T.S. Eliot, who borrowed from English 14th century female mystic Julian of Norwich: "All will be well, and all manner of things will be well".

(Note: Annus Horribilis = Horrible Year. It is derived from the Latin phrase 'annus mirabilis' - year of wonders (or miracles). Recorded since the mid 1980's but brought into popular use after Queen Elizabeth II used it to describe 1992 - the year that the marriages of her two sons Charles and Andrew broke down and Windsor Castle caught fire.)