If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget it. This is real astrology. See the section above. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT).

A lunar eclipse, a SuperMoon, a Mars station and several Mercury and Venus alignments all conspire to give July what is arguably the most potent planetary profile in months. At the same time, two of August's most important celestial phenomena (Saturn's opposition to Pluto and Pluto's direct station) are already within a degree of being exact from late July onwards. In combination, these are indications that July continues some of the same rather unsettling trends that have characterized the flow of world events since May. The Mars station, for example, points to a continued emphasis on conflict, aggression and anger at the personal as well as collective levels. The lunar eclipse and SuperMoon indicate an especially high likelihood of moderate to severe seismic activity (including Richter 5 or greater earthquakes as well as volcanic eruptions), strong storms, and flooding - inland due to heavy precipitation, coastal due to higher than usual tides combined with strong wind and heavy rain. And the other major celestial factors suggest that major equity markets are moving toward the bottom of a bear market - probably not this month, choppy as things will be, but the bottom is likely out there sometime between late September and early November.

July will likely start off with a bang, so to speak. That's because the moon reaches maximum declination south of the equator on the 5th, just as it shines full in the sky. This particular full moon eclipse combination augurs a marked up-tick in moderate to severe seismic activity (Richter 5+ quakes and volcanic eruptions). Also storms - big ones, full of potential for damage by wind and flood. The 2nd through the 8th comprise the main risk window for this particular celestial alignment . . . then things ease off and back down to a normal level of seismic and meteorological upheaval. As always, there's a worldwide potential of increased storm and seismic action during an eclipse, but a study of the astro-locality map for this one suggests a few special risk zones: Central China down through the Indochina peninsula; the US Atlantic seaboard and the Caribbean basin; as well as southern Mexico and the entire Middle East.

Watch for turbulence on more than the geophysical front between the 11th and 14th. Luna's northward crossing of the celestial equator heralds storms in Earth's crust and atmosphere during this period, certainly. World equity markets are likely to get pretty gusty around this time as well, with Mercury conjunct Jupiter on the 12th (within a fraction of a degree of the June 21 solar eclipse point). Huge speculation, derivatives, hedge fund strategies that are too clever by half - such are the factors that seemingly conspire to rapidly inflate prices of stocks and key commodities around the 12th. Just as suddenly there's a shearing of the sheep a few days later, around the time Venus aligns with Saturn on the 15th and then opposes Pluto on the 17th. As far as the meteorological and seismic instability in this mid-July period is concerned, about all you can do is keep your head down, your pantry stocked and your batteries fresh. On the financial front, true investors have a long enough time frame as to be unconcerned about the whipsawing markets around this time. Everyone else is safe only if they're in cash and on the sidelines. And whatever shearing happens at mid-month is obviously only a foreshadowing of what's to come, as economic clouds gather on the August horizon. (Things get even crazier over the next few months, so know your needs and your comfort level and allocate accordingly.)

Another crescendo of geophysical energy sends storm and seismic risks soaring around the 19th, the day Luna attains its highest declination north of the celestial equator - and the day Mars does its direct station, as well. The elevated risk of moderate to severe earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and strong storms in effect from the 17th through the 23rd - taking into account the SuperMoon of the 20th - may in fact be the lesser danger lurking around the globe at a time like this. At least it's impersonal and over fairly quick. And somehow a natural catastrophe just seems less inherently evil than the man-made variety . . .

The other danger wears a human face, and is in effect all month long. That's because Mars is either retrograde or within a degree of its July 19 direct station point throughout July. This is all part and parcel of the Mars retrograde cycle that began May 11. As I warned - and as validated by the escalation in Arab-Israeli conflict and the intensification of the Macedonian civil war since Mars went retrograde in May - this is part of a cycle that emphasizes violence and conflict, fires and accidents, murder and mayhem. Mars looms large in the sky and in the news during its retrograde, and I warned you long ago what this means: more atrocities (on both sides) than you can shake a stick at in Israel; more ETA terror bombs and assassinations in Spain; civil wars heating up in Indonesia and Macedonia and elsewhere, etc. And more saber-rattling in the Middle and Far East . . . not to mention ingenious terrorist attacks directed toward Americans at home and abroad. No sweat, no Armageddon . . . but a lot of innocent victims nonetheless.

Lest we forget, the last time Mars was retrograde, NATO was at war with Yugoslavia over the atrocities in Kosovo. This time around Macedonia, formerly a part of Yugoslavia, is engaged in the same kind of civil war and ethnic cleansing that brought bombs down on Belgrade.

As I've already warned, these Mars alignments are planetary configurations, and so they apply to everyone here on Planet Earth. If you don't think this means you, you're in way over your head. That said, the sign and planet combinations involved in this year's Mars retrograde do seem to point at a few targets in particular. The US, Spain and the Middle East are among the indicated focal points: domestic crime and terrorist attacks are likely to be on the increase in these areas, unfortunately. (This comes at a time when the US Declaration of Independence chart is experiencing multiple major alignments from the planets in space around us.) Astro-locality special risk zones for this alignment include Mexico and Central America, the upper part of the Indochina peninsula and western central China, as well as northern Japan. Islamic fundamentalists are bound to be at the bottom of some of the most notable terror attacks to happen during this cycle. But they are far from being the root of all evil at times like this.

The good news as far as Mars is concerned is that we're nearing the end of this cycle, which I figure is pretty well a thing of the past around the time Pluto is opposed by Saturn (then conjunct Mars) in August.

Coming back to the July 20 SuperMoon alignment for a moment, I should emphasize that it's a planetary phenomenon and therefore the risk of seismic and meteorological extremes extends all over Planet Earth during the July 17-23 risk window. So wherever you happen to be at this time, making allowances for storms and such is just plain prudent. If anything, judging from the astro-locality map for this particular SuperMoon, the risk may be a little higher in Hawaii, the Aleutians and western Alaska as well as northwestern Mexico and southern California; also on a north-south line from eastern Europe down through the Mediterranean Sea and through Libya down to the western coast of South Africa; and in Asia, Pakistan and a broad swath from Tokyo in the east and Hong Kong in the west southeasterly through New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand.

  

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