ANNUAL FORECAST 2020: Karma's Playground

The Years 2019--2020 Important Themes
The subject at hand is “Karma”, defined in this article as the outcome of previous choices and behaviors.   Although Karma is often used in the context of the belief in reincarnation, I am maintaining a boundary of the most recent thirty or forty years.  Karma can be experienced as reward or punishment, depending upon how we have chosen to offer our energies to the world in recent times.  It can be corporate, global, or very personal.  Karmic energies affect us at many levels via personal health and relationships, career developments, social and political dynamics.  Our value systems are up for evaluation and judgment in every arena.

Saturn in Capricorn
On Dec. 19, 2017, Saturn rolled into Capricorn for a three-year sojourn.  Saturn, the Teacher within us, is now in the sign of corporations, politics, and business.  Whenever Saturn changes signs, there are multiple changes in the world and the laws we must abide to get along in society.  Saturn in Capricorn can be hard-nosed indeed.  It rewards those who benefit the world and punishes those who have not demonstrated the lessons of social and corporate give-and-take.

Saturn and Pluto together in Capricorn
Pluto is the original god of the underworld and represents transformation of both individuals and corporate bodies.  It also is a symbol of Raw Power, such as that which drives destructive storms.  Saturn began to make challenging aspects to Pluto in Feb. 2016.  These challenges are steadily increasing toward a crescendo in the first quarter of 2020.  Pluto demands the absolute Truth and Saturn is the Judge
This pair, as all planets, has both positive and negative sides.  On the bright side we have work which is both hard and transforming.  On the darker side, we see those who have claimed demigod status and are mean, even vicious, to others. The dark side is criminal in an ongoing way.  On the personal level, it requires that we work hard to hold onto personal power in the face of circumstances that are not at all conducive to our use of it.  Be creative.  When this is over, the winners will be those who have managed to maintain their social values throughout the period and still contribute favorably to the collective.
There likely will be much more crumbling in the economic systems worldwide throughout this period.   Making this statement is not likely to “win friends and influence people,” but I hope my readers will take this warning and pay off creditors.  Those with a little bit of power are likely to exploit it well beyond what it is worth.  We don’t want others to have financial control over us.
Failing infrastructures that have just “held together” in the past few years will be letting go of their tenuous hold.  For the next two years there likely will be “surprise” accidents in water, sewer, roads, bridges, and anything else considered infrastructure.  That which has been built with foresight to weather challenging events will become apparent and serve as a guide to future development.  We have already seen examples of this by observing what structures remain in the aftermath of hurricanes and fires.
The more personal message is that one or more structures that we have built into our lives are crumbling.  This is the third of four years to correct the problem.  Maybe that structure or plan needs to go.  Perhaps it has been impeding us from moving forward.  It is possible that this process began in 2016.  If it continues to have value in your life, much effort and probably considerable money will be required to repair and restore damage.  Consider allowing the disintegrating structure to transform into an updated version of itself. 

Eclipses
During 2019 and the beginning of 2020 the eclipses will occur in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn.  These are opposing signs which represent caretaking/mothering versus world building.  On the basic level of human existence the polarity is family/caring relationships versus work and making a living.  Many of us will be dealing with the desire to earn resources while doing something that we love.  That which we value and hold dear will surface in our hearts and demand to be manifested with greater emphasis in our lives.

The eclipse seasons in 2019 will occur in January and July.  It is at these times the consequences of our past actions will be revealed, for good or ill.  This actually may occur periodically throughout the year, but eclipses tend to punctuate events with surprising clarity.  We will become aware of what is not working to the good.  That will require revision and change.  We may also be rewarded with unexpected favors and applause.
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Though it may be tempting to focus attention on the dark Karma, we need to be realistic and do what we can to interfere with it.  Beyond that, we need to shoot for making improvements in areas that we can control.  For most of us, we can concentrate on managing outcomes that achieve positive results.  Hold onto a basic "love of people" ethic, in spite of what we may see.  Refuse to play to the lowest common denominator.

2020 Mercury Retrogrades 
There is always a 2.5 week foreshadow, something like a preview.  We will begin to see Mercury retrograde “symptoms” of delays, overturning of plans.  Many of you know what they are, but for those who do not, I will mention that schedules tend to flip-flop, travel becomes complicated, and we are prone to make mistakes in logic.  At the retrograde point the symptoms become more challenging and continue until Mercury turns direct.  The 2.5 week period after this is an after-shadow which is meant for cleaning up odd details before beginning new business.

Feb. 17 through March 10 
Mercury retrogrades in Aquarius and Pisces.  Allow 2.5 weeks before and after this period to account for the shadows.  Most of this retrograde occurs in Pisces, an emotional water sign.  Memories and people from the past may surface once again for rehashing and cleanup.  It will be easy to create misunderstandings in our relationships because the waters are murky.  Alternately this may be a good time to clarify previous misunderstandings.

June 18 through July 12
Allow 2.5 weeks before and after this period to account for the shadows.  This entire retrograde is in the sign of Cancer, also an emotional water sign.  Cancer represents home, security, environmental concerns, and family of origin, most particularly the parents.  News concerning any of these areas may be inaccurate or exaggerated.  Double check later.  Don’t put a piece of property on the market now and avoid making property purchases.  You may not have all the information you need.
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October 14 through November 2
Allow 2.5 weeks before and after this period to account for the shadows.  This retrograde occurs in Scorpio and Libra.  The topics are relationships and joint resources.  “Joint resources” include partner’s income and property, taxes, insurance payoffs, Social Security, investments, and inheritance.  Problems in any of these areas can surface and require management within the relationship(s).  This is definitely not time to finalize a marriage or a will.  

2020 Eclipses

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Important 2020 Planetary Aspects

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2020 Themes

Pluto in Capricorn (2008--2024)

The headline cosmic news for 2008--2024 is the entrance of Pluto into the sign of Capricorn. We stand on the cusp of a 16 year global reorganization of power (2008-2024). Dramatic political, business and economic changes will occur worldwide, especially so between 2009 and 2015. The seeds for revolution are already in gestation. Rising and falling of governments and their leaders will become common.

Pluto represents transformation at its most profound level. It exaggerates flaws in our social systems and in our personal lives until we are forced beyond our lethargy to find resolution to issues. We of the Western world are acculturated to expect unlimited resources, for example. In particular, the people of the United States have enjoyed bounty well beyond that of many other countries. It is one thing for us to talk about running out of resources, and totally another to come to the real experience of not having enough gasoline to drive to work.

This country has a Cancer birth chart. Pluto's transit through Capricorn ('08--'24) will be opposed to our sun sign. We will be starkly confronted with the results of our collective principles and behaviors. We have become an empire run by consumerism and assumption of unending prosperity. The major flaw is that we, as a collective, secretly believe that somehow, someone else is responsible for the public welfare. We assume that our laws, our government, and even our employers will protect us.

During these first few years Big Business (Capricorn associated) will become the ruler of the globe and governments merely puppets. We have experienced glimpses of this system in the last decade. We are naive enough to believe that if a CEO is not operating lawfully, he/she will soon be caught. Think again. Before very long the business practices that are now covert will become the accepted norm among those with power.

The process is one of erosion, so watch carefully for its signs in your mailbox. If you think I am being melodramatic, read those 5 page, boring, documents in tiny print that come from your credit card, insurance, or other institutions. They count on our laissez-faire attitudes. They know we are often too overwhelmed to give such things attention. You will be shocked at the rights you are losing, inch by inch. Soon it will be a landslide and there won't even be an effort to hide it.

Orwell's 1984 is at our doorstep. We need to do what we can to stem the tide of Big Business tyranny over the next decade. The first and foremost act of self protection is to get out of debt. Don't let anyone own you. Take good care of your health.  Eliminate addictions. Become as independent as reasonably possible from major institutions and corporations. Take any steps, however small they seem, to preserve your independence and self-sufficiency. None of us is immune to the zeitgeist of the time in which we live, but we can stay awake and choose behaviors that reinforce our personal freedoms during the storms.

Genuine transformation rarely happens while sipping margaritas on the deck. It only evolves in the wake of major trials and tribulations. One must really experience the consequences of behavior in order to make the necessary effort to change an attitude. Pluto will accept nothing short of authentic, wherever it travels. For the next 16 years it is traversing Capricorn, the sign that rules business and governments.

Pluto in Capricorn will rain hellfire and brimstone for a few years.  It will show us the damage that is being caused by living a life of consumerism, irresponsibility and hubris. It demands nothing less than transformation. The greatest temptation we will experience is the desire to hang onto the easy life as we have known it. Today we may not even really believe that our lifestyles must alter. Yet if we recognize, even embrace, the necessary personal changes, we can save the planet and also come to value life as never before.

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