This outer planet is the greater malefic in traditional astrology.
Because of that tradition, it often gets a bad rap.
Saturn is all about negative things and stressful circumstances.
So it rarely feels good when we experience its effects.
It gives us an endless stream of trials and tribulations.
That’s why it’s the great teacher in our lives. It’s here so we can learn our big life lessons, whether we like or not.
Like a Saturn station, the planet’s rings define a sense of specific limits. This Hubble infrared photo from space shows their mysterious beauty.
Saturn is famous for its rings.
They symbolize cosmic limitations imposed by a harsh environment. Because of those limits, we need personal discipline and extra dedication.
Saturn is about contraction, concentration, and crystallization. It represents conventional or conservative attitudes.
Those attitudes can trigger exaggerated pessimism or a sustained sense of lack.
But Saturn is also about time, definition, and structure. It can thus help us anchor plans and activities.
When we pay attention to Saturn we can set specific goals. We can create schedules and make commitments.
These opportunities peak whenever we have a Saturn station.
A Retrograde Saturn Station
The latest Saturn station came yesterday. Saturn began its retrograde motion at 27°48′ Sagittarius.
It was a significant turning point in politics, commercial discourse, and international affairs.
North Korea used the Saturn station as an occasion to launch a test missile toward Japan. It was part of the country’s efforts to redefine itself as a prominent nuclear power.
The “nuclear option” was also in play in the United States Senate.
That’s because the Republican majority rewrote the legislative body’s rules for confirmation of Supreme Court justices.
The move increases the likelihood that future members of the Court will be political extremists. So they are less likely to be moderates with well-reasoned commitments to nonpartisan judicial deliberations.
There was also action in the US House of Representatives. The Saturn station saw Congressman Devin Nunez recuse himself from the Intelligence Committee investigation of Russian interference in US elections.
He retained his seat as committee chairman. But mounting ethical pressure obliged him to bow out of the investigation.
So he reversed course as Saturn went retrograde.
The Saturn station also brought big shifts in geopolitics.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Florida to meet with US President Donald Trump at his private Mar-a-Lago resort.
And as his dinner with Xi was about to start, Trump ordered a missile strike against Syria. The military action marked a major reversal in US posture in the Syrian conflict.
Impact on the Markets
Like any planetary turning point, this Saturn station could trigger short-term market reversals. But it’s also likely to bring changing conceptions of market conditions and economic trends.
The 90-Degree Dial for the Current Saturn Station
As the 90° dial shows, the Saturn station is in an eighth-harmonic alignment with the transneptunian factor Poseidon. This signals a major break with previous ideological loyalties.
So we may feel the fallout in the markets.
Saturn also triggers the Aries/Chiron midpoint. This suggests big geopolitical challenges during coming months.
One More Thing
And there’s one more factor here.
As the Saturn station began, there were White House rumblings about possibly reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act or its equivalent.
If this happens, it would represent a major shakeup of global banking interests.
It could signal a big shift in key market forces as well.
That’s a question I get a lot from people who haven’t experienced the astro-trading advantage for themselves.
The answer, of course, is Absolutely YES!
But that response doesn’t really tell us much, mainly because the question itself is so limited.
A far better question would be “HOW does this stuff work?” or “What kinds of effects do the planets actually have on the markets?”
The Mars direct station coming up next week is a case in point.
Mars stations are definitely market accelerators, and sometimes they trigger trend reversals. But each Mars station brings its own unique characteristics to the circumstances surrounding stock market trading.
If you take a look at these trading charts for the S&P you’ll see what I mean:
Prices fell in the stock market trading that took place while Mars was retrograde in late 2007 and early 2008. A brief bounce immediately after the Mars direct station on January 30, 2008 was followed with price congestion and a fresh price decline.
The Mars stations in late 2009 and early 2010 defined a profitable period in stock market trading, with the direct station on March 10, 2010 signaling a break above previous resistance.A rising price trend in stock market trading during much of the time while Mars was retrograde in 2012 culminated with a pull-back just prior to the direct station on April 13, which was following by trading congestion prior to a steep decline.
The old-time market pundits have long suggested that a good investment strategy is to “Sell in May and Go Away” for maximum long-term profits in the equities markets.
This notion is rooted in the fact that there’s often a seasonal decline in stock prices during the summer months, with a historical tendency for underperformance in equities starting in May and continuing through October.
But is it a good idea to “Sell in May” this year?
If so, should we sell at the beginning of the month, or wait until later?
That’s what I discussed with Michael Yorba yesterday when he interviewed me on his Traders Network radio show.
We also talked about the impact of the recent solar eclipse on markets in the Pacific, the role of Mars in providing key timing factors during the month ahead as it moves from retrograde motion into its direct station, the importance of the Eclipse Activation Dates mentioned in the report on The Solar Eclipse of April 2014: Its Impact on the Markets, and a whole lot more.
You can hear a recording of the complete 11-minute interview here:
By the way, you’ll find the charts that Michael and I talked about at the beginning of the interview, including the eclipse path and the market charts from Australia and Indonesia, on Wednesday’s blog post. You can see it at:
My colleague Jim Cummins has just contributed a new article for our “Big Picture Perspectives” section in the members area of our website at FinancialCyclesWeekly.com.
It’s titled “Bookends of Time“, referring to the pivotal role that solar eclipses play in world events and economic trends. That’s a fitting subject, since the next big solar eclipse is just a few days away.
As usual, Jim is full of insights on global actions and personalities, using his vast knowledge of mundane astrology to bring out perspectives that you won’t find anywhere else.
In this piece, he tells us that “It is now a certainty that Vladimir Putin will send his forces into Ukraine before this month is out – most likely before the Solar Eclipse of April 29, fulfilling my forecast from March 19, which is cited later in this article.”
Jim has a lot to say about what’s coming up in the coming weeks, in the light of (or should we say the shadow of?) the Apirl 29 solar eclipse. And he goes beyond that as well, extending his forecast well into the next six months and beyond.
“The big issue going from the summer to the fall of this year,” he says, “will be the contests over who has what control in the Arctic regions, as the Fall eclipses highlight those regions…meanwhile, the next several weeks will be back-peddling for some, while Mars is still retrograde, through May 19, and continued brazen violence by others, such as the horrifically vicious Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the social eruptions through much of South America, and the continuing saga of Europe’s collapsing economies, paving the way for a forthcoming soaring American stock market.”
The stock market is on a cosmic collision course right now, with Mars getting ready to follow Mercury in the Retrograde Parade and the massive impact of the waxing Jupiter/Uranus square coming up in a few days.
This is important stuff for anyone interested in profitable trading in these turbulent times.
That’s why I’m putting the finishing touches on a new monograph on the role that the Jupiter/Uranus waxing square is having on the Stock Market Collision Course.
It’s also why we’re having a free webinar on Tuesday evening, February 25.
When I talked with Michael Yorba on his Traders Network radio show on Thursday afternoon, the stock market hadn’t closed for the day, but the S&P was up. As it turned out, that index not only finished the day higher, but went on Friday to hit an even higher high, bringing the S&P 500 back within range of a fresh all-time high.
This confirms the Mercury retrograde uptrend I was talking about with Michael as an effect of the Retrograde Parade we’re currently experiencing. As usual, the planets are having a big impact on the price action in the markets!
Prior to my interview with Michael on Thursday, I posted an S&P 500 trading chart that illustrated the typical effects we can experience when Mercury is retrograde. Since the close yesterday, I’ve updated that chart with current prices, and have also put together this 6-minute video that provides some additional information about the Retrograde Parade, including the recent price action during the Venus retrograde period in December and January:
When I joined Michael Yorba as a special guest on his Traders Network radio show yesterday afternoon, he began our conversation with a question about the astro-trading advantage. “You cannot gain ultimate accuracy without having this advantage” in your trading, he said, and asked me to explain why it’s so important to apply astrological knowledge when we get into the market action.
When we use astrology in the markets we really do have an advantage, so I was grateful for the opportunity to comment on what planetary dynamics can offer active traders. Later in the interview, we also had a chance to talk about the current string of planetary retrogrades and their impact on the markets.
You can hear the complete 10-minute interview here:
