National Forecast 2022

NEWS BEFORE THE NEWS

U.S. PREDICTIONS FOR 2022

Three methods will be used to describe the trends for the United States in 2022: major transits in the heavens during the year, the Declaration of Independence chart using my Diurnal-Planet-for-a-Year direction (DPY)* and significant transits to the U.S. natal planets.

*This new direction method is fully explained in my book Your Cosmic Oracle.

HEAVENLY TRANSITS

The disruptive Saturn/Uranus square followed in the wake of the tumultuous events associated with the historic Jupiter/Saturn/Pluto conjunction in late 2020.  Saturn and Uranus played havoc throughout the year manifesting through two Covid-19 mutation surges (Delta and Omicron).  The last of the Saturn/Uranus phases peaks until December 24, 2021.

The Saturn/Uranus combination signals widespread and profound political and technological transitions.  This aspect is intricately related to world power changes along with the Uranus/Neptune cycle.  A Saturn and Uranus conjunction in 1988 was followed by a Uranus/Neptune conjunction in 1993 when the fall of the USSR allowed the United States to assume absolute supremacy.  China, however, may overtake the United States to become the prime financial, military, and political power during the next Saturn/Uranus conjunction in 2032 as this corresponds with the next Uranus/Neptune conjunction.

2021 marks the last phase of the Saturn and Uranus cycle that started in 1988.  The last phase, similar to the waning lunar phase, is a time of decline and instability – a wrapping up of the cycle in preparation for a new wave.  There are three 90-degree square aspects in this last phase.  The first Saturn/Uranus square is 2/17/2021 and sets the stage for the following two.  The second contact, when Saturn is retrograde, is 6/14/2021 and the final aspect is 12/24/2021.  The weeks surrounding these aspects will display a great deal of social, political, and economic turbulence and change.

Saturn and Uranus are by nature at odds with one another.  Saturn stands for the status quo; Uranus is the radical and different.  Saturn represents convention, conservatism and heritage; Uranus spells innovation, progressiveness, and a breakdown of normalcy.  This year has been nothing but abnormal and upsetting with the emergence of the Covid-19 Delta variant and then, during the last Saturn/Uranus phase, another surge of uncertainty and disruption with the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.  The aspect points to scientific and legal advances too and there have been bright spots along the way, including successful vaccines and better medical interventions, and the passage of Biden’s Infrastructure Bill to rebuild (Uranus) an aging infrastructure (Saturn).

Christmas Eve 2021 marks the peak of the last Saturn/Uranus phase linked to the conjunction.  To get an idea of what unfolds during the next ten years let’s review the previous stages and project forward from there.

Conjunction (1988)

The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 creates the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of a bipolar world.  The U.S. assumes absolute superpower with wide ranging financial, regulatory, and social implications.  A globalization of trade emerges.  A surge in technological development begins with the advent of the computer and the Internet.  Space exploration increases and low orbit satellites are installed for the rapidly developing digital revolution.

Square (July 1999 – May 2000)

An anti-globalization movement begins.  The economic growth of the last decade stalls with the Dot-com Bubble recession that started in March 2000.  9/11/2001 Taliban terrorists attack the United States igniting the worldwide War on Terrorism.  The weather becomes increasingly more extreme the world over.

Opposition (November 2008 – September 2009)

An economic crisis rocked the world; the U.S. experiences the Great Recession, the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.  Record-breaking natural disasters and freaky weather extremes worsen.  The Arab Revolt brings upheaval and political change to a number of Arab countries (Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Tunisia).  Barrack Obama, the most progressive U.S. president since Franklin Roosevelt, is elected and presses for passage of government sponsored health insurance via the Affordable Care Act.  His administration is vehemently opposed by conservatives.

Square (January – December 2021)

The Covid-19 pandemic spreads around the world beginning in early 2020.  Although the pandemic is associated with the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of 2020 its economic and social impact is clearly a sign of the Saturn/Uranus configuration.  The pandemic impacts largely the lower and lower-middle class as millions become unemployed, businesses are closed, and food shortages increase. A contested U.S. election in 2000 leads to a failed attempt by Donald Trump and his supporters to steal the election through coercion of election officials, legal challenges, and in the end a storming of the Capital by protesters and insurrectionists resulting in several deaths, numerous injuries, and damage to the Capital.  President Joe Biden reverses Trump administration programs with liberal policies more progressive than those proposed by Barrack Obama. A $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill is passed purely along party lines.  A $3 trillion infrastructure bill is signed into law with bipartisan support. Three nations send space craft to Mars in search of life.

The themes associated with the Saturn/Uranus cycle give us an idea of what to expect in the decade following the last square.  (1) Food and commodity shortages and disruptions in the supply chain related to the Covid-19 pandemic.  In the years ahead other disruptions to the food chain could occur due to climate extremes, natural disasters, and war or trade disputes.

(2) Competing interests of powerful nations and political parties clash.  We can expect no bridge in the deep political divide between the Democrats and Republicans.  The political pendulum is out-of-center and set for a historic confrontation in 2024.  On the international front, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have competing interests with the United States; China in particular poises the greatest challenge economically and militarily in the years ahead.

(3)  A technological and industrial surge will take place with the passage of the massive infrastructure bill.  Another theme is tied to this since new financial systems will be needed to pay the enormous costs of rebuilding society in an environmentally sustainable, healthier way.  This will necessitate higher taxes on the wealthiest individuals, raising corporate and individual taxes, imposing new regulations and surcharges of various kinds.  The potential redistribution of wealth will be eye-popping.  Inflation will rise in 2021 and be a severe between 2026 and 2034 peaking in 2030 (see Financial Forecast 2022).  The national debt will likely be ignored in hopes that a rebounding economy will stimulate new income.  Reliance on cash will continue to decline in favor of electronic transactions.

(4)  Three themes can be linked together: a new focus of national attention, a reorganization of society, and cultural advances.  Civil rights, multi-culturalism, sexual freedom, anti-bigotry and other cultural movements like police reform will gain strength and momentum.

(5)  The final themes of war, major treaties, and economic depression tend to occur during the opposition and square.  A new treaty with Iran is possible but is likely to collapse.  An armed conflict with China could take place if China attacks Taiwan or provokes hostilities over territory and trade routes in the South China Sea.  Russian aggression in Ukraine or elsewhere might provoke tensions.  And then there is the all too real cyberattack that cripples key sectors of the U.S. economy.

A final troubling theme to this planetary combo is world economic decline – a breakdown of established social and economic systems that requires government regulatory reforms, progressive policies, tax increases, debt reduction, and possible currency reorganization.  Two examples from previous Saturn/Uranus aspects:  309-311 CE Roman currency reorganization and tax increases; 2008-2010 Great Recession and world debt crisis leads to a debate over the EU currency.

JUPITER/NEPTUNE CONJUNCTION

Jupiter and Neptune join April 12, 2022 in a single conjunction.  This is primarily a sign of inflation although a peak in production tends to occur with some regularity at the time of the sinister sextile when Jupiter is 3000 from Neptune (Feb.-Oct. 2020).  Production tends to fall quickly after this point and reaches a tipping point around 3300 separation (Mar. 2021).  A very low point (a crisis of low production and rising prices) typically occurs around the conjunction, with a secondary low possible at the dexter sextile (600 separation May 2024).  The conjunction is a time of economic crisis as inflation soars.  In 1971, for instance, Richard Nixon removed the gold standard, precipitating the greatest inflationary wave in modern times.  A triple conjunction in 2009 signaled the Great Recession of 2008, the longest and worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929.

There are several other key indicators of rising inflation in the years ahead.  The Saturn/Neptune cycle points to rising prices 2026-2034.  The 9.28-year inflation cycle discussed in my book The Spiraling Economy (ISBN 9798717352321 available through Amazon) correctly predicted 2021 as a short inflationary peak.  The next peak in the 9.28-year cycle is 2030 during the next Saturn/Neptune phasing!  The inflation of 2021 is not merely a pandemic induced production and supply chain upheaval; nor will it be temporary.  The inflation/financial crisis Jupiter/Neptune conjunction follows in 2022.  I’m concerned that these forerunners will set off the next super inflationary period (2026-2034) that is likely to crest in 2030.

The Saturn/Uranus square that peaks for the third and last time December 2021 indicates rising tensions and a potential breaking point in several international flash-points.  A Russian invasion of Ukraine would be very destabilizing during this cosmic fragile time.  Additional NATO troops may need to be deployed for a standoff with Russia in the event of an invasion.  If China makes a military move to take over Taiwan, the United States would be forced to act to protect valuable technological manufacturing facilities in the island country and the vital international shipping lanes throughout the region.  A third flashpoint is the growing possibility of a  preemptive military strike by Israel to cripple Iranian nuclear production.

Warfare may be averted through a positive feature of the Jupiter/Neptune aspect.  This planetary combination indicates political détente, collective agreements, and the signing of significant peace treaties, such as the Versailles treaty that ended World War I based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points of collective security and freedoms; the treaties with Germany and Japan in 1945 and the subsequent establishment of the United Nations.  A new nuclear “freeze” agreement with Iran is therefore possible if the inefficiency and deception principle inherent in the Jupiter/Neptune aspect can be averted.  Versailles, for instance, was a flawed agreement that motivated Germany to break free of it.  Iran may use a weak agreement to continue developing nuclear weapon capability in secret.  The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine may also be sidestepped through some form of mutual security agreement.  Putin wants the West to guarantee that Ukraine will not be admitted into NATO.

The Jupiter/Neptune conjunction also indicates a step-up in world humanitarian movements to speed the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines, tests, and medicines to less developed nations.  Under the appearance of Jupiter/Neptune collective liberal movements touting universal moral values and a widening of socialistic programs will gain momentum.  The Build Back Better bill will likely pass if major compromises and program reductions are reached.  No matter how it may be pared down the passage of this bill will further fan inflation due to its additional costs, tax hikes, and raising of the national debt.  The 2022 election is likely not to go well for the Democrats as oil and fuel prices increase again during the summer into fall.

And then there will be trend setting firsts like those during past Jupiter/Neptune aspects: the first election that included female voters; the first election broadcast on radio; the first time a motion picture was synchronized with a musical score; the first nuclear submarine; the first transpolar voyage beneath the Arctic ice pack; the first time a jet airliner crosses the Atlantic; the first U.S. earth satellite is launched; NASA is established.

JULY 2021 – JULY 2022 is a Venus year for the United States based on my Diurnal Planet for a Year direction. The DPY direction is a general forecasting tool for the year like progressions.

The government attempts to revive the economy and return some semblance of balance and normalcy to the nation still gripped by the dreadful Covid-19 pandemic.  There are rays of hope on the peace front and in financial and hospitality industries as the nation wins new battles against the virus.  Prospects for improved conditions in the U.S. are very good but this Venus-year is in a 9-year Pluto period so extreme ups and downs will occur as Covid-19 variants surge and wane.  Venus was aligned to the star Murzims in 1776 implying that the well-being and happiness of the American people needs to be addressed and protected.  Our allies and friendly trading partners also have something to say and America would be wise to listen.

JULY 2022 – JULY 2023 is a Mars year using my DPY direction.  Mars is located on the western horizon in the U.S. horoscope, a sign of war and conflict among individuals.  This is indeed already happening.  The Russian Ukraine War has morphed into a proxy war for the United States since we are the principle financers and arms supplier to the Ukrainian freedom fighters.  The death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of al Qaeda and once second in command to Osama bin Laden is a major kill for the Biden administration.  Meanwhile, China has been most hostile over Taiwan especially when Nancy Pelosi visited the island.  And Iran may already have enough nuclear fissionable material to construct one bomb.

The DPY direction divides time into 9-year segments with a different planet representing each year within the group (the Sun is excluded).  The current 9-year segment is represented by Pluto and runs from 2020-2029.  The last Pluto 9-year period was 1939-1948 during World War II and its aftermath.  The previous Pluto 9-yr period was 1848-1857 a tumultuous time of mass migration during the 1849 Gold Rush and the deep political divisions that led up to the Civil War.  We may conclude then that July 2022 – July 2023 is a very dangerous year with more provocations and violence ahead.  A wider European war or one with China over Taiwan, although unlikely, is still possible.

President Biden’s rush to transition to renewable energy has assaulted the oil industry especially when he closed the Keystone pipeline, added restrictions on new drilling, and slapped additional permits, regulations, and costs on the industry.  All this came at the worst possible moment.  The Mars/Neptune square is particularly dangerous as threats (Mars) can be underestimated, ignored, or misunderstood (Neptune) by the government and president (Midheaven).

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains and shutdown large segments of industry.  This led to rampant inflationary pressure that was fed $6 trillion dollars in government relief resulting in rapid price hikes.  Efforts by the Fed to tame inflation by raising interest rates caused the stock market to crash.  This series of events is clearly symbolized by Mars square Neptune (the oil industry, infectious diseases, inflation, and fear of death).

Two additional threatening issues that will be made worse this year is the influx of illegal migrants and drugs entering the country.  Again, the government seems unwilling or unable (Neptune) to do anything about the hemorrhaging border.  The second problem is crime.  Too many criminals are being released or given lenient sentences.  Groups of criminals even storm retail businesses in broad daylight and steal whatever they want.  Gang violence is on the increase in big cities.  A reinterpretation of the penal code by many District Attorneys and judges has caused this spike in criminal behavior.  Don’t expect much to be done about it until the second half of 2023.

There is a wide Moon trine Mars in the U.S. chart implying a hardworking, resilient populous and critical choices (Mars) involving compromise (trine) with childbirth (Moon).  The Supreme Court reversed Roe vs Wade and returned it to the States.  Although most Americans disagree with this decision, abortion is a personal decision first and foremost and not a federal one.  The individual States are best suited to determine what restrictions should apply in the granting of abortions.  The trine aspect suggests that the American public will come to accept and comply with this Supreme Court decision.

Thus far in the Mars year Biden and the Democratic Party are doing pretty well. They are likely to lose seats in the House and possibly the Senate in the mid-term election but passage of the Chips Act will be a boost to manufacturing and building (Mars). The killing of al-Zawahiri was another feather in their hat along with the Inflation Reduction Act, better called a climate, tax, and healthcare act, that will go after (Mars) tax cheats (Neptune), address (Mars) pollution (Neptune), and begin a much needed process of reining in (Mars) the powerful pharmaceutical industry (Neptune). Expect these bills to be fitful, difficult, and challenged. There is no guarantee (square) that a good return on this effort will ensue but it is a risk (Mars) that is worth taking. Biden’s plan to erase $10,000 of student loan debt, restructure the payment of debts, and help PELL grant recipients (Neptune) will assist many and anger others (Mars). The position of Neptune in the Midheaven of leadership implies that the U.S. will lean toward socialistic programs like Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and stimulus programs, loan forgiveness, and various social program giveaways. There is always a strong pushback to such programs presumably by conservatives due to the square to Mars. Socialism in America is controlled to a great degree by those adamantly opposed to it.

Mars represents the police.  Neptune is in the Midheaven of leadership.  The FBI raided ex-president Trump’s home looking for missing (Neptune) documents and evidence of crime (Neptune) committed.  Other official investigations into Trump’s business dealings, tax returns, the January 6 insurrection, and the attempt to tamper with the election results are likely to intensify and lead to an indictment.  A hornet’s nest has been stirred.  Trump supporters will be enraged.  A reckoning is coming – a civil war type reckoning.  Whatever form it may take the developments that are taking shape this year are feeding a growing fire of discontent.

ASPECTS TO THE U.S. HOROSCOPE

The three slowest moving transits (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) in hard angle aspect (00, 900, and 1800) to the Declaration of Independence chart identifies the primary trends and conditions facing the nation.  There are three such incidences in 2022.

The last square from transiting Neptune to the U.S. Mars peaks 1/29 followed by the first of three Pluto returns.  January and February are critical times for America.  Grave threats from foreign adversaries and the ongoing fight against Covid-19 are two expressions of this aspect.  The financial sector and the hospitality industry are likely hard hit.  The price of fuel and affronts to the oil industry will also occur at this time.  Construction, food production, and household goods will tend to do well.  Impulsive and aggressive legislatures will try to push for passage of the larger Build Back Better proposal, change the filibuster, and move election supervision from the state level to more federal control.  Moderate voices and those unsure of the consequences of these proposals will stubbornly hold out for more affordable and traditional alternatives.

2022 marks the first time transiting Pluto returns to its natal position.  This historic astrological event is in three phases of maxim intensity: February 20, July 11 retrograde, and December 28.  Pluto signals a turning point – a transition – for our nation.

One obvious transition is from the Age of Oil to the Age of Green ‘Renewable’ Energy.  The switch in fuel-source dependence will take time but the official cosmic crossover is marked by the Pluto return.  Nuclear power, also represented by Pluto, will likely play a bigger role as renewable sources may not be able to supply the constant power needed to fuel the nation.

Space exploration and commercialization will achieve new heights.  And true to Pluto’s dualistic nature we will witness progress in nano technology.  Transplanting pig organs into humans, first made possible in late 2021, will also make significant strides forward.

Another significant transition is in the role played by Big Tech.  The states and federal government have tried to reign in the tech giants for unfair trade practices and mining personal data.  A more ominous presence, however, is how tech firms guide how people spend their time, what professional and social opportunities they pursue, and what they think.  Technocrats running Apple, Google, Facebook, and Tesla/SpaceX have more power and influence than most nation states.  New business models propagated by them are directing corporate offices and the citizens at large more than the government.

Transiting Neptune makes its last square to natal Mars at the end of January 2022.  This is a sign of hostility with a foreign nation.  The impending invasion of Ukraine by Russia unless NATO concessions are arranged relates to this aspect.  Expect some shocking and disruptive events in the first two months of the New Year.

2022 is a pivotal year in yet another way.  To fully explain, let me take you back in time to the late 1850s.  Transiting Neptune was in the same square with Mars and in opposition with the U.S. Neptune in 1857 as it is this year.  There was a bitter divide at the time between Northern “free” states and Southern “slave” states.  The abolitionists distrusted adherents of the slave economy and vice versa.  Disinformation swelled the controversy amid threats of secession and violence.   Viciousness spew from both sides of the great debate: angry arguments and fist fights and ugly newspaper opinion pages were common.  The insinuations from the South trigged fear and apprehension – what would an end to slavery and Northern domination mean for Old Dominion?  The Northern view, not unlike the Democrats of today, loathed the idea of exclusionism (enslavement) and state’s rights over federal jurisdiction.

The situation is much the same today.  The liberal ‘left’ and the conservative ‘right’ can agree on little.  Each side distrusts the other.  Accusations run rampant concerning what will happen if one side gains popular control over the other.  Lies, deceptions, fear – and the insidious unknown – rule the day.

And then there was rebellion.  Fort Sumter was bombarded in Charleston harbor by secessionist forces sparking the Civil War just as Uranus joined with natal Uranus in the U.S. horoscope (April 1, 1861).

Uranus does not join itself in modern times until 2028-29, long after the 2022 transits to Neptune and Pluto.  But there is another danger now seeping and growing into the very foundations of our Republic.

In the U.S. chart Neptune is near the Midheaven of leadership and government.  Is it no wonder then that a majority of the population is distrustful of government?  Large numbers of people are disappointed in Washington leadership.  Presidents have lied; made promises they couldn’t keep, and behaved incompetently.  Although another civil war, if there is to be one, will not come until 2028 or 2029,            Pluto today replaces the Uranus transit of 1860.  Rather than an immediate civil war, we face the undermining (Pluto) of ideas (Mercury).  Extremism and fanatical talk is all over the internet.  The media, once the bastion of reliable information, is now subjected to scorn and ridicule – even disbelief – as increasing numbers of people get their news online from extremist forums and through social media chitchat.

A constitutional crisis is in the making.  It will first be felt in the 2022 election but is more aimed at the next presidential election.  Remember Neptune on the U.S. Midheaven.  Conservatives fear a totally socialist America (Neptune); liberals relish the idea of Euro-style democratic socialism. Extremists in both parties are trying to push their agendas past congressional moderates.  Even President Biden who campaigned on a promise to “bring America together” has caved to the extremist voices in his party.  The Republicans are unified against the liberals because an extreme faction of conservatives drives the party.  This has created a stalemate.  Trump upped the ante in his bid to disavow the 2020 election.  Now his loyalists are harassing, threatening, and pressuring fellow Republicans that voted to impeach Trump resulting in many of them retiring from politics or being defeated in the polls.  There is also a clandestine movement to install Trump followers in state precincts, on election boards, and in other key voting positions.  In other words, there is a plan underway for stealing the next presidential election.  If Trump is dissuaded from running again, or prevented in running due to litigation or conviction of a capital offense, then Pluto will still manifest through extreme viewpoints on both sides of the aisle.  Political stagnation may no longer be possible as a swing to one side or the other is inevitable.

There will be more to say about this grave situation as time moves forward.  From my vantage point now, the scenario outlined above is very real and possible.  The media has begun to pick up on the idea that American democracy is at a tipping point – a plutonian transition point – turning from the old to the new.  Three top generals have even voiced the possibility of a civil war, or extensive civil unrest with “brother against brother” like echoes from the past.

The danger Pluto poises is an undermining of our democratic principles – be this as a result of those on the left or the right.  It indicates a dismantling of our republic through corruption, manipulation, and intimidation.  Psychology is at work: change the mind and you change behavior.  And so it is, America is at a crossroads.