If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Location for all mundane charts is set for the Great Pyramid at Giza; the choice being strictly arbitrary in any case. Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) my complete 2018 World Forecast Highlights (41 8-1/2 x 11" illustrated pages); focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Orders may be phoned in toll-free anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761, and charged to any major credit or debit card. Orders may also be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.

"For a man who has realized his soul
there is a determinate center of the universe
around which all else can find its proper place,
and from thence only can he draw and enjoy
the blessedness of a harmonious life."
-- Rabindranath Tagore, The Realization of Life (1913)
 

There’s an historic but generally unheralded cosmic phenomenon at work this month, as Pluto sinks south of the ecliptic plane for the first time in very nearly 250 years: in mythological terms, the God of the Underworld is returning to the Underworld. The crossover won’t be exact until next month, but it’s within just a few minutes latitude north of the ecliptic throughout September. Pluto’s last crossing of the ecliptic plane occurred in 1930, when it passed from below (south of) to above (north of) the ecliptic. The rise of fascism coincided with the rise of Pluto. May we hope that Pluto’s descent will likewise presage the fall of fascism?

If it feels as though the whole world has been in a slow, inexorable passage through the underworld these past few years, that’s why. The last such milestone occurred in 1770 – the year of the Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre wasn’t a thing in itself, but it was a significant milestone in an historical process. So it is with this year’s Pluto crossing, which is part of a whole picture dating back to the reappearance of Justinian’s T-Square in 2006, and all the celestial configurations that have unfolded since then – including the imminent (2020) Trigonalis Great Chronocrator,

There’s a lot to this than just the Pluto crossing next month, because it’s part of a whole cosmic confluence that has been in process for years already, and has years yet to run. I’ll be covering this whole process in detail in my forthcoming 2019 World Forecast Highlights. But for now, just know that feeling like you’re frozen in time and space at the peak of the Ferris wheel is a sign that you’re very much in the moment, at this moment.

2018 MARS MAX CYCLE

SUN-090-MARS	MARS S-Rx	SUN-180-MARS	MARS S-D	SUN-270-MARS
MAR 24	JUN 26	JUL 27	AUG 27	DEC 3

SUN-090-MARS = Sun-Mars Waxing Square (Max begins)
MARS S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde Begins)
SUN-180- MARS = Sun-Mars Opposition (Mars Perigee)
MARS S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)
SUN 270 MARS = Sun-Mars Waning Square (Max ends)

Aside from that background sense of vertigo on the brink, there’s a lot more immediate action this month. Mars Max is still in effect all month, as is Venus Max. For more on these two important cycles, see the full version of my 2018 World Forecast Highlights (pp. 2-12 for Mars, pp. 13-17 for Venus). They’re going in different directions now, so to speak. But they’re still both very much in foreground throughout September – Venus in particular early in the month, given Saturn’s direct station on the 6th. Bank stocks, trade wars, currency gyrations and similar disturbances in the financial ether are big stories all month, but equities will by and large still continue to climb the proverbial wall of worry. The bull market is not as shaky at it appears on its worst days this month: Venus Max assures that.

2018-2019 VENUS MAX CYCLE

Max-E	S-Rx	Cnj. SUN	S-D	Max-W
AUG 17, 2018	OCT 5, 2018	OCT 26, 2018	NOV 16, 2018	JAN 6, 2019

Max-E = Venus (Evening Star) Max. Elongation East of Sun (Max begins)
S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde Begins)
Cnj. SU = Inferior Conjunction with Sun
S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)
Max-W = Venus (Morning Star) Max. Elongation West of Sun (Max ends)

The Venus-Mars square coming up on the 11th is the shakiest indicator of the month, give or take about a week. Negotiations at loggerheads, domestic uprisings, international saber rattling and general belligerence can roil the markets for a time, but won’t derail them.

Speaking of turbulence, I’m seeing a decline in solar disturbances in a time of relative quiet on the Sun this month. The superior Sun-Mercury conjunction on the 21st will rip open some far side coronal holes and X-Ray storms, but these won’t come into play with our home planet until early October (around the 5th, give or take three days).

We’ll still have some terrestrial storm and seismic disturbances clustering around the new moon on the 9th and (more notably) the full moon on the 25th. Allow three days either side of these dates.) The more dangerous quakes, volcanic eruptions and meteorological messes will accompany the full moon. Be ready for big storms with powerful winds and heavy precipitation by the light of the full moon.

Acknowledgments

All mundane astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are set for the Universal Time (UT) of the event, and calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8. Charts are set for the location of the Great Pyramid - a purely arbitrary choice, since location is irrelevant to these charts. Unless sotherwise noted, sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe or Star Rover apps for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows; storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone; and earthquake maps are screen captures from the QuakeFeed, QuakeWatch or QuakeZone apps for iPhone. Any market images are screen captures from the default iPhone Stocks app, unless otherwise noted. Weather images and storm tracks are screen captures from the Weather Channel app for iPhone.

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

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/message 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com