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).

September wastes no time in setting the forces of nature loose on humankind, what with the lunar south declination maximum of August 28 blending right into the full moon of September 2. Once again, there will be plenty of opportunities - I'll detail them momentarily - to get out your emergency supplies and rearrange your life to accommodate Mother Nature. The murder and mayhem that have been so virulent here and there 'round the world since Mars began its retrograde back in May should be peaking out and preparing to ease off a bit this month, around the 8th. I'm not saying the lion is going to lie down with the lamb after that, but I do expect a gradual easing in the gross level of overt conflict that's been so painfully evident over the last several months. While the kind of localized natural and man-made upheaval just mentioned will directly affect relatively few people worldwide, virtually no one will be untouched by the tides sweeping through the global economy. Although we're still caught in a longer-term downward trend in major equity markets, there are signs of a rally building toward Saturn's direct station on the 26th. (The actual peak date for this little rally will probably fall fairly close to the 26th, but I wouldn't make a fetish of the exact date.) Given the longer-term downtrend, as rallies go this one looks fairly lightweight and short-lived. In any case, it gets followed by a sharp downturn in October or November. (Major indices are apt to finish the year more or less sideways to a bit on the down side, when all's said and done.)

Strong storms, flooding, and moderate to severe seismic activity (including Richter 5+ quakes and volcanic eruptions) are on tap September 1-6, under the aegis of the Grand Cross full moon at 10 Pisces on the 2nd and the Moon's northward equatorial crossing on the 5th. Alaska, Venezuela, central Brazil and Argentina together with east central Africa and the Middle East, Turkey, Japan, the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border and east central Australia are among the target zones for meteorological and seismic instability during this interval. The south of both Greece and Italy also look vulnerable, while a fierce storm in the North Sea could figure into transport or oil drilling accidents there. In addition to the usual themes of extreme weather and seismic instability, this particular full moon has a lot more going on. Fires and other accidents, along with an unusual outbreak of criminal activity, are looking likely during this full moon cycle, especially in and around Rio de Janeiro, and along an arc stretching from Phoenix Arizona through the southeast corner of Manitoba, Canada. Fraudulent financial schemes rob people blind at times like this - and when they're exposed, only pennies on the dollar can be recovered. (There's a New York-Miami connection going on here.)

As the full moon effect winds down on the 6th, the rampant surge of militarism, murder and general mayhem that have been so prevalent in the headlines since May begins a general retreat. By the 8th, when Mars reaches the point where its retrograde began back on May 11, the background level of civil mayhem should start to ease. Although there may be a temporary up-tick in criminal spectacles on the 8th itself, the trend from there is generally downward until just about the end of September. Mars reaching the July 5 lunar eclipse point on October 2 and opposing Jupiter the following day pretty well guarantees a messy few days in late September and early October. Generally speaking, relative peace and calm are on the increase again after that. As I said earlier, this doesn't mean the lion lies down with the lamb. While some world trouble spots will tend to move more in the direction of peace as these Mars aspects fade, others are more intractable and in fact are fed by longer term cycles that are far from finished now. The civil war between Israel and the Palestinians is a prime example. If there's a breather after the 8th, it's only to set the stage for greater conflict later in the month and on into October. The Intifadeh, after all, is no mere battle over boundaries: ultimately, it's genocide.

Luna reaching maximum northern declination on the 12th signals the month's next geophysical risk window, a brief increase in the odds for destructive storms and seismic activity. This comes a day after Mercury reaches the point (14 Libra) where its October retrograde will end. So although the actual Mercury retrograde lasts from the 1st through the 23rd of October, some of the silliness so typical of that cycle will start rearing its head as early as September 11. (And will continue as late as November 7, when Mercury finally passes the point where its October retrograde began - 29 Libra.) Don't expect full-blown Murphy's Law madness, but do expect an increase in transport delays and communication mix-ups, computer network viruses and worms, etc. Be ready!

September 17 brings the last SuperMoon of 2001, and it's in effect from the 14th through the 20th. Included in this period is the exact lunar perigee on the 16th as well as the Moon's southward equatorial crossing on the 18th, so I expect the 16th-18th will usher in the wildest weather and seismic action within the September 14-20 risk window. And this particular risk window in turn will be the most formidable of the entire month, with the greatest potential for strong storms, flooding and moderate to severe earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Hawaii, the Caribbean, the eastern US coast and the Pacific coast of Central and South America: these are some of the prime targets during this alignment. Central Africa and Eastern Europe plus the Middle East also come into the crosshairs, along with western Australia, Indonesia and the China coast. But don't think for a minute that if you don't live in (or plan to visit) one of these particular danger zones that you're in an all clear area September 14-20. After all, a SuperMoon alignment is planetary in scale, and no place on Planet Earth is beyond reach of such a configuration. If you're going to be outdoors or in transit during this period, keep a sharp eye on weather conditions. Check your home emergency supplies to make sure your stock is adequate and current - just in case. It's true that most of us will get no closer to natural catastrophe than reading about it in the headlines or watching it on TV during this SuperMoon. But some few of us will be much closer than that - and those who are won't mind having an emergency plan to fall back on when the time comes.

September 24-26 is another storm watch interval, with greater than usual seismic potential under the aegis of Luna reaching maximum south declination on the 25th. Relative calm settles in after this, until the first rumblings of the October 2 full moon begin to be felt on September 30th. Unusually savage storms and quakes are on tap during this full moon, which brings Mars to the degree of the last lunar eclipse (and a simultaneous opposition to Jupiter).

This same end of the month period includes Saturn's retrograde station on the 26th, at 15 Gemini - within two degrees of an exact opposition to Pluto. The Pluto opposition aside, normally we could expect a peak in major equity markets to coincide with Saturn turning retrograde. Not that this would necessarily happen on the exact day of the retrograde station. The Ringed Planet is within a degree of the September 26 station point all the way from August 24 to October 30, so the precise peak may actually be anywhere during this interval. But since the late August major market indices took some major hits as Pluto stationed (opposite Saturn) on the 23rd, and seeing that Saturn makes an exact opposition to Pluto again on November 2nd, it looks to me as though there's still room for a run-up peaking near the Saturn station of September 26th. To be followed, of course, by a late October or early November sell-off.

  

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)