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).
November is largely a continuation of themes left over from last month - big cosmic drama, connected with rare and relatively weighty planetary alignments like Saturn's opposition to Pluto. Focusing on major heavy-duty celestial factors of this sort is the reason my forecasts for major equity markets and general world events over the last couple of months have been spot-on enough to keep me outrageously busy with private consultations day in and day out. (In case you wondered, that's the reason this forecast is running late and comparatively short: clients always come first.)
As predicted for September, we experienced a "rally building toward Saturn's direct station on the 26th." And per my October forecast, the late September rally was "followed by a sharp downturn in October." While the markets were primed for the fallback at just about anytime that month, I had mentioned two periods in particular as especially risky: the 18th through the 21st, and then again at the end of the month when "the November crash factor is also quite strong, even though it doesn't peak until November 2." As it happened, the markets took a thrashing over the last few days of October.
Here it is November, and that crash factor - Saturn's opposition to Pluto - is exact on the 2nd, but within a degree of exact until November 13 and within three degrees of exact for the entire month. Jupiter's retrograde station on the 2nd, the very day Saturn opposes Pluto, may act as a mitigating factor early in the month. But with Pluto and Saturn aligned in a potent opposition across the horizon of the US Declaration of Independence chart, I suspect there's still some downside shock left in the equity markets sometime in November - shortly after the 2nd, or else around the 15th, most likely. From there on through the end of the year looks clear for a modest and quite tentative up trend, although there will be downward shocks (probably around the 3rd, 7th and 14th). But don't think that's the end of the bear market, by any means. Saturn still has another opposition to Pluto - geocentric and heliocentric - in the spring of 2002. Until those alignments have passed, ups and downs alike we will see aplenty, but downs will predominate.
Market mayhem is currently largely driven by - not to say directly manipulated by leaders of - the undeclared war between Middle Eastern terrorists and the Western powers. I have already indicated - see last month's forecast - that this will be a lengthy campaign. While the heaviest fighting over the near term looks most likely in May of next year, there are signs that shock troops, sneak attacks and other nasties are on tap around the 5th and 26th of this month, as Mars aligns first with Neptune and then with Uranus.
On a more prosaic note, don't forget that all things Mercurial - communication, transportation, business, finance, shipping, printing, etc. - remain at greater than usual risk of breakdown or slowdown through November 7, when Mercury finally reaches the point in space where its October 1 retrograde began. Anyone who's watched Tom and Dan posturing as war heroes on the US evening news knows that America's anthrax hysteria ran rampant during the October retrograde, and by that token you can expect more of the same until the 7th when the panic starts to ease. (Watch for a last gasp spike around the 5th.) So in addition to being reasonably watchful on that count, you can also expect that computer viruses, worms and Trojans will continue thicker and nastier than normal; that messed-up, delayed and lost transactions still pose risks; and that the Internet is even more than usually vulnerable to disruption.
What with an international war going on, man-made messes are such a preoccupation lately that people tend to forget Mother Nature's penchant for playing havoc with the fragile machinery of civilization. With two full moons this month and one new moon, there's plenty of geocosmic energy around. Nothing rising to the level of a SuperMoon or eclipse mind you - we'll get our fill of the latter next month - but still lots of opportunities for strong storms, heavy precipitation and attendant flooding to kick things around. Toss in some enhanced potential for moderate to severe seismic activity (such as volcanic eruptions and Richter 5 or greater earthquakes), and what emerges is a month with far more than the usual share of natural disasters waiting in the wings. Have your emergency kits freshened up and handy, and in particular be ready just in case around the full moon on the 1st (in effect October 29 - November 4) and the Moon's peak northern declination on the 6th (most notable within plus or minus 30 hours of the exact date). Next comes the lunar perigee (closest approach to Earth) on the 11th (give or take 30 hours), which is virtually simultaneous with Luna's southward equatorial crossing on the 12th. This merges fairly seamlessly into the new moon on the 15th (in effect November 12-18) and the lunar south declination maximum on the 18th, making for a period of a solid week of elevated risk for storm and seismic action. The full moon on the 30th (in effect from November 27 through December 3) ends the month on as stormy a note as it began - and maybe more, as Mars aligns with Uranus on the 26th (the day of the Moon's northward equatorial crossing).
SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)
