Year Ahead Report for 2008 - Maggie Kerr AAT APA

Mars and Pluto Standoff…
The other pair of boys in the mix making for a very different ingredient in the 2008 Horoscope are Mars (2 year cycle) and Pluto (246 year cycle)  forming an opposition (yes that’s what the aspect is called and the name tells all) at the 29th degree of Gemini and Sagittarius respectively.  Known as the “Anorectic Degree” (I have always called this the anorexic degree!) 29 degrees of any sign is the final “moment” before it enters the next sign. Thus it offers the opportunity to complete any issues inherent in the signs involved. In this case Pluto will move into Capricorn on January 27th heralding the commencement of a new 16 year journey through this sign.  (More about this momentous event in the Pluto section below.)

This Mars (God of War) Pluto (Lord of the Underworld) standoff is threatening to say the least, issuing in another year of enormous tension between global factions on the international (Sagittarius) stage. Mars Gemini/Pluto Sagittarius is literally a “war of words” at an international level, and may involve major standoffs between factions of all types; political, commercial and ideological. Collectively I hope this also means that individuals begin to speak out more clearly on behalf of both their own and our community interest in working toward a sustainable future.  The Australian people just did this on November 24th when they clearly said “no” to the old world view offered by John Howard’s Liberal Party and “yes” to the current view offered by Kevin Rudd’s Labour Party; that we are all in this together and there is no longer any room for separatist view points.
 
The Moon in the 2008 Horoscope falls in Libra forming a challenging square aspect to the Sun in Capricorn.  This tells us of the absolute necessity for diplomatic and peace keeping activity both globally and personally. We need to see the word PEACE all over the place so get yourself a bumper sticker and use the word as much as you can.  Remember the “Hundredth Monkey Principle”… if enough of us do something positive then eventually the collective will “get it”!

A Quick Rundown on Mars Placements for 2008
By May 10th as Mr. Mover and Shaker enters Leo you can expect to finally get excited!  Freed from his family and safety concerns he can now express the passion and power he is famous for.  On a global level leaders of all types will be front stage with dramatic developments for better or worse depending on the leader!  By July and August he moves into Virgo with a call to use your energy organising and systemizing your projects and life in general. He joins Saturn in Virgo on July 11th so globally this feature may include any or all of the features I outline in the Virgo section below.  From mid August he heads into Libra bringing relationship areas into focus…remember what I just said about the Moon in Libra…”Peace be with you”.  Early October sees Mars move into Scorpio, always a touchy placement as security/control issues raise their nasty heads, so use this phase to send your desire nature toward things that release tensions rather than holding old positions. He completes his passage for the year in Sagittarius from mid November.  A great period for positive self expression and optimistic growth…and of course travel to far horizons.

Jupiter passes through Capricorn
On both a personal and collective level Jupiter represents the following:
Common values or belief systems  - the law and religion - the monarchy or highest authority in the land  - the courts, Churches, charities - the higher mind  thus universities, publishing, philosophy, and philanthropy. It has links with national wealth and hence with prosperity, wealth, the rich, banks and the financial life of a society.

Jupiter’s 12 year cycle means he spends just over a year in each sign. He entered Capricorn on December 19th 2007 until January 6th 2009. He commenced his last cycle in February 1999 when he entered Aries and a new 12 year Jupiter process began to unfold.  This led us into the Millennium at 2000 as a new century also began its unfoldment…interesting synchronicity.   So as he spends the next year in Capricorn he triggers the waning square (90 degree) phase in the cycle signaling the “crisis of re-orientation” that arises at this point in any cycle.  What was sewn is now fully ready for expression with the accompanying realization that the cycle is nearly spent, and from 2009 and 2010 fresh ideals and dreams for the future must be seeded before he commences his new cycle in Aries from January 2011.

Personally this means that we are all ready to reap what we have sown…or not reap as the case may be.  This is a year when your ambitions are ready for fulfillment and hard work will bear great fruit. So put a spring in your step as you dare to strive as never before making sure that your goals are realistic and involve the good of all concerned.  Capricorn can provoke raw ambition with a “use them” kind of attitude…definitely the unconscious goat at work. Make sure you use this cycle to manifest concrete outcomes that allow room for everyone you encounter to “win” as you also “win”.  If you do this you set the tone for a more conscious collective outcome.

Capricorn is highly activated this year with Jupiter joining Pluto… also entering Capricorn in ‘08 for the next 16 years. As Jupiter expands and propels forward the themes and activities of any planet or sign, it appears then, that the deep transformational forces necessary to re-shape the geo-political and commercial affairs of our world will receive a ‘big kick in the pants’ to get the ball rolling in 2008.  “Corporate Governance” is the term that springs to mind here, as Governments, institutions and companies begin to be forced to take responsibility for their role in the use or mis-use of the powers they hold.  Expect to see the best and worse of this scenario reveal itself in the year ahead.  On the one hand we will see voluntary execution of policies and reforms that enhance the positive growth of the relationship between the industrial machine and the environmental outcomes to date.  On the other hand we may see vagrant exhibition of the lack of care and responsibility re: the same.  In the same way that Jupiter in Sagittarius over the past year has placed neon signs around the religious tolerance/intolerance theme of Sagittarius, this same principle can be applied to Capricorn.

Until Governments create legislation that hold companies responsible for their environmental and societal morality we cannot expect to experience the necessary checks and balances so integral to taking care of this planet and her people.  The Jupiter ‘expansionist’ principle may also bring an even greater level of “takeovers” as the global industrial complex moves toward “globalization” in ever greater measure.  As a response to this we will see many individuals splinter off into de-centralization of their business activities. In the following section on Saturn in Virgo I will highlight the relationship between Jupiter and Saturn and develop this idea.

Jupiter and Saturn represent the social and philosophical level of human existence - the institutions and the power men who control them.  Their most recent cycle of 20 years (Synod) began in May 2000 in the sign of Taurus.  Taurus rules value systems, money and resources.  Thus the theme of the period between 2000 and 2020 involves the use, mis-use and diminishing resources that underpin the planetary consumption equation.  In 2006 they formed a waxing (developmental) square aspect (90 degree) and the tension regarding this resources issue began to reveal itself… yes Scarlet there is not enough oil to last as long as we thought!  In 2007 Saturn/Jupiter formed a waxing Trine (ease aspect) in Leo and Sagittarius respectively.  This showed us (with ease) the nature of the ideas and philosophies regarding ‘resources’ (or lack of them) being offered by our Leaders (Leo). Independently of federal Governments some local government and industry began to implement new strategies and policies to deal with the ‘real’ issues confronting our planet… e.g. governor Arnold Schwarzenegger defying the US federal system and getting on with major reforms in California…true leadership regardless of your politics. This phase also brought us the huge growth in global share/stock markets, but with a fundamental flaw also becoming apparent…the credit systems are actually very shaky, and this may indeed lead to a drastic overhaul by March 2011 when they form the opposition in the 20 year cycle (and Saturn squares Pluto).

This year they again form a trine aspect (ease) but in earth signs.  Saturn is the Lord of Capricorn the sign Jupiter occupies.  Jupiter is not particularly comfortable in earthy Virgo as he is a full on kind of guy, so may struggle with the more disciplined component of what Virgo is trying to teach us.  However their dance in ’08 assures us that for the first time in many a year we may actually end up with some constructive outcomes for all the talk that’s gone over the last years.