The outlook according to the spring equinox and lunar eclipse

The spring equinox came on March 20 at 4:31 GMT. Because it came so close to the lunar eclipse on March 23, they can be viewed together.

The spring equinox chart has only one lunar aspect: Moon quincunx Mercury. This means that in the atmosphere of all the other planetary aspects, there is only one thing to anticipate, as far as this chart is concerned. Moon and Mercury rule the mental state of the world. The quincunx says it is unstable. The world is everywhere ill at ease, and in need of adjustments everywhere.

Mercury is in Pisces, his weakest sign. A wave of fear, distrust, disbelief, and confusion sweeps over the world. Changes and political decisions made this quarter, whatever they are, will tend to be unfortunate. There is coming and going to no purpose. Contracts and agreements bring misunderstanding. Promises and appointments are not kept. There will be plenty of false news to distract attention involving bad publicity, scandals, petty quarrels, gossip, tale-bearing, and there will be legal disputes.

The context of all the above is shown by the following planetary aspects.

On the hard side,
Mars is square Venus and Neptune,
Jupiter is square Saturn and opposite Neptune,
Saturn is square Neptune,
Uranus is square Pluto.

On the easy side,
Mars is trine the Sun,
Saturn is trine Uranus.

Mars is in a critical degree: 4 degrees Pisces. This means a crisis in which underground aggression comes out.

Short of going into details, the general atmosphere shows six hard aspects against two easy. The Moon quincunx Mercury favors the hard aspects. The general tone of the time is distressed. The quincunx aspect is, by definition, an aspect of distress requiring adjustment and probable separation.

The spring equinox chart, made at Greenwich, UK has its Ascendant in Aquarius. This means that the reading holds water for an entire year.

Briefly, the chart at Greenwich has Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and the Sun in the 1st house opposite the Moon and Jupiter in the 7th house. There is a strong pulling apart of Britain from the EU in evidence. Mars is in the 9th house, conjunct the Mid-Heaven exacerbating the tension and involving heated quarreling in the respective Governments. Saturn is in the 10th house. Square Neptune in the 1st, opposite Jupiter in the 7th, and trine Uranus in the 2nd. The hated bond between Britain and the EU is most likely to break, and a new, more enterprising direction taken. If they manage to stay together, a new direction will be the only course open.
In the charts both of the UK and EU, the Moon in the 7th house is quincunx Mercury in the 1st. An adjustment must happen. Separation is highly likely. Saturn in the 10th house trine Uranus in the 2nd house in both charts says that if the two sides split up it will open new avenues for economic development. It is the most optimistic outlook, especially for Britain.
The EU is apt to begin fragmenting.

The chart at Washington DC has Mars and Saturn in the 1st house. This shows the angry and extremely discontented feeling of the people. Mars in a critical degree square Venus and Neptune in the 3rd house points to possible rioting on the streets, possible terrorist activity in addition to staged political riots. Stay out of harm's way.

The lunar eclipse comes on March 23 at 12:02 PM GMT. It is at 3 degrees Libra. The eclipse Moon is opposite Mercury. So, we see the equinox Moon quincunx Mercury answered in the eclipse chart by the Moon opposition Mercury. Nature is eloquent. The eclipse is driving home the meanings of the equinox chart Moon/Mercury aspect. Where it is most likely to affect is where the eclipse is visible. That is across North America, most of South America, and all the way across the Pacific to Asia as far west as Pakistan.
The traditional reading for a lunar eclipse in the 1st decanate of Libra is violent weather. If we add to this the Sun's position at 3 degrees Aries, it tells of violence and sedition in the human realm.
The eclipse charts for the UK and EU show the Moon at the nadir opposite Sun and Mercury in the zenith. This brings extreme tension between the ruling parties and their opposition. Europe is in serious political turmoil.
The eclipse chart for Washington DC has Neptune, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, and Uranus all in the 12th house opposite Moon and Jupiter in the 6th. This brings up a wave of criminal activity, and points to scandals in connection to the Administration, and probable rioting during the period of the coming three months in which this eclipse is in effect. The eclipsed Moon in the 6th house sextile Mars shows a spike in police and/or military activity. Pluto in the 10th house square Uranus in the 12th shows a delinquent President.

Raphael gives in-depth personal astrological and psychic readings. For information visit  www.raphaelsimons.com

An astrological view of the solar eclipse of March 9

The solar eclipse came on March 9 at 2:07 AM GMT. It was at 18:56 Pisces.

A solar eclipse in the middle section of Pisces, according to tradition, presages tidal waves. This eclipse was fully visible over Indonesia. There is a strong probability of seismic and tsunami activity coming to Indonesia and that region as an effect of this eclipse. It could also cause a volcanic explosion. When this happens could be this month, or any time within a year at most, as repercussions of solar eclipses tend to spin out over time.

And eclipse in Pisces unleashes chaos.

The effects of this eclipse for the world in general, looking at the planetary aspects are as follows.

The eclipse in Pisces is exactly opposite Jupiter in Virgo. The polarity of Pisces and Virgo has generally to do with labor and services, public health, food, and military services.
Pisces has generally to do with issues of asylum, hospitals, prisons, charitable institutions, crime, secret military, and terrorism.
Virgo has to do with health, food, military services.
The eclipse opposite Jupiter points to serious upsets in the migrant situation, probable terrorist activities tied to transportation, streets, roads, bridges, ships. The situation is a big mess.
The eclipse is exactly conjunct Germany's Moon (of the chart of German political unification of 10/3/1990). So, this eclipse brings trouble to Germany's legal system, law courts; shipping and trade relations; and foreign relations, overshadowing and potentially upsetting affairs of the federal government. The Moon is also the people in general. The people, as shown by this eclipse, are very deeply distressed. The eclipse may divide the people.Germany is in for a year of trouble. Merkel will probably be voted out in the upcoming elections.
The eclipse also points to epidemics, possibly affected by migrant populations, or by deliberate criminal activity.
There will be food shortages, possibly tied to failed crops, problems with food processing, and/or problems with international food transport.
There will be large losses of money spent on migrants. This will increase the general poverty.
Crime will rise.
Secret military activity will increase.

Jupiter is involved in several aspects that are triggered by the eclipse. These are as follows.
Jupiter is closing a tight square with Saturn.
Juipiter is quincunx Uranus, and Saturn is trine with Uranus.
Jupiter is trine Pluto, and Pluto is square Uranus.
In a nutshell, these aspects point to a spike in underground criminal activity, especially theft, involving people in high places. It also suggests huge sums of money being used for secret criminal activities possibly linked to terrorist activities.

At the eclipse, Mercury was also applying to conjunction with Neptune in Pisces. Pisces is Mercury's weakest sign. In conjunction with Neptune, lots of confusion, trickery, and lying especially running through the media can be expected. In the political situation, this can mean rampant underhandedness, and scandal mongering.

The effects of this eclipse, especially for NYC, are bad for the market. The eclipse, as well as Mercury and Neptune, show up in the 5th house in NYC. The 5th house rules speculation. What is means, in a nutshell, is that the stock market will be erratic through the coming months. We see both Mars and Saturn in the 2nd house. Mars is square Mercury and Neptune. Saturn is square Jupiter and the eclipse. Fluctuations will involve some sharp drops.

The upside of this is that there are a lot more events in the heavens that can mitigate this one's effects. I would not, however, advise wearing rose colored glasses, Pisces notwithstanding.

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Raphael gives in-depth personal Chinese and western astrological readings and psychic readings. For information visit  www.raphaelsimons.com

An astrological picture of the GOP in 2016

The Republican party, or GOP, was born on March 20, 1854 at 6:30 PM LMT, in Ripon, Wisconsin, its main objective at that time being the abolition of slavery. Because of the current turmoil in that party, I drew up its natal and progressed charts to see how it shows up and how it might resolve.

The natal Ascendant of the GOP is 4 degrees Libra. There is a lunar eclipse coming on March 9, 2016 at 3 degrees Libra. The eclipse is not visible in the US, therefore won't act destructively on the GOP chart, but, it will signify an important development in the GOP's outlook this coming spring.

The outstanding transits on the GOP's birthday, March 20, 2016 are Venus conjunct Neptune at 14 Pisces, both conjunct the GOP's natal Neptune, and these opposite the transiting Moon, and transiting Jupiter. This shows the party not in the happiest of moods, in a state of confusion, and laboring under no small degree of underhandedness.
It is very significant to note that 2016 - 2017 marks the GOP's Neptune Return. Not exact this year, Neptune returns to its original degree and minute, 14:02 Pisces, in May, 2017. Because Neptune in the natal chart is in the 6th house, the Neptune return brings out the critical question, who are you serving?

In the progressed chart, we find the progressed Mars trine to natal Venus. When the party was born, Venus, the ruler of the Ascendant, was in tight opposition with Mars, foreshadowing the coming Civil War. This year, 2016, we find Mars trine the natal Venus. It gives the party the ability to go forward into new territory, to have success with the public, to make new agreements and deals, accept challenges, take a stand, and profit by using dynamic energy.

In the converse progressed chart, we find the converse progressed Ascendant, conjunct converse progressed and natal Uranus, square converse progressed Mars. These are potentially disastrous aspects that demand revolutionizing, and can break up the party.
Converse progressed Saturn is square natal Venus warning of serious errors of judgment, unfavorable publicity, harsh criticism, and huge losses of money, The old guard appears to be killing the party.
Converse progressed Venus is sextile natal Jupiter to tell us that all is not doom and gloom, and that the party will do well to expand its vision.

In the Directed chart we find the Ascendant conjunct the natal Neptune, and the Descendant, conjunct Mercury opposite the natal Neptune, pointing out, yet again, the underhandedness of unscrupulous people causing chaotic conditions to undermine the party's better interests.
The directed Mid Heaven is square natal Neptune. This gives very bad publicity to the party. The worst things are being said.
The directed Mars is square natal Uranus. The factions of the party champion lost causes, and many in the party are upset and angry.
The solar arc directed Moon is sextile the natal Sun and square the natal Mars showing opportunity born out of conflict.

The party is being crippled, and needs to be revolutionized.
Transiting Uranus comes to trine the natal Moon this April 2 - 18, and then again next November 27 - January 29, 2017. This does bring new ideas.
Another hopeful sign is that Jupiter enters the 1st house of the natal chart in later September. This will give the party a more hopeful outlook.

Come November, the progressed Moon forms no aspect; the converse progressed Moon forms square to converse progressed Sun; the directed Moon form trine to natal Sun and Mercury, and square to Natal Venus. The party is struggling.

All in all, it looks like tremendous conflict through which the party has a good chance of being renovated, reorganized, revolutionized, and/or regrouped. There is the danger that it will fragment, and it will be very difficult for the party to get a handle on the treacherous elements that are undermining its better interests at this time. The party is in turmoil. And it is not the fault of Trump. He didn't invent the heavens, nor did he found the GOP. He's sailing on rough seas. And the country is in turmoil.

This article in no way offers to predict who will win the upcoming election.

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Raphael gives in-depth personal astrological and psychic readings. For information, visit  www.raphaelsimons.com