Can Planets influence human Life?

Leah ask, " In what manner do planets influence human life?"

The short answer

Mercury retrograde is always the astrologers best example of how muddled brains all over the world can get.  The best current example is the TARP program passed by the Congress and signed into law all during a Mercury retrograde. I discuss this phenomena in my Textbooks for Financial Astrology Book 1 Lesson 2.  Your average student astrologer will probably have a long list of Mercury retrograde events.  Most are pretty funny.

The long answer starts here

You will read in your General Science books that the planets move along the ecliptic around the Sun because of centrifugal  force and gravity.  

Wrong.  

The planets are kept in their place by electrical forces.  You will learn about this theory as you grow older and are able to understand Quantum Physics. In the meantime scientists debunk astrology by referring to the idea that the magnetic power of a planet is not sufficient to influence the body of a human or an animal.  However, electrical forces do have the power to influence the cells of your body and the synapses in your brain. 

Happy Solar Return

On the day you were born a pattern was set. Every year the Sun comes to the exact same position as it was on the day you were born.  Transiting Sun is conjunct Natal Sun. So much energy focused on that particular day of the year can make you depressed. So we fix it by giving you ice cream and cake and sometimes we invite your friends over to sing songs and if you are really lucky an astrologer will read your solar return. Easy Predictions with Solar Returns is the best book on the astrological book shelf for interesting, fun and accurate readings of a Solar Return. 

I love the book and use it all of the time.  In fact it makes the perfect birthday or holiday gift for your favorite students of astrology.

Other Intense Planetary Conjunctions

You get used to the Moon since it returns to its natal position 13 times per year.  Mercury returning to its natal position can often produce a really great idea, Venus can bring a note from an old friend and Mars can make you super energetic when they return to the position it occupied in your natal chart.  Trouble with these planets is that they do not abide by the business calendar we use every day.

Jupiter returns to its natal position about every 12 years. You have to watch carefully for this event and usually something really nice happens around that date.  However, wonderful things happen to us every day so Jupiter transits can't get credit for all of them. You need to watch for the sextiles, squares, trines and oppositions of Jupiter and Venus to planets in your horoscope chart, you can anticipate that they will bring some special gift your way.  Of course some gifts are from your angels a gorgeous Moon rise or a beautiful Sun set or in my old neighborhood the Aurora Borealis.

Saturn

About every seven years Saturn really whacks you and pushes the book of life right in your face and says study up. Saturn is the planet brings astrologers clients. No one can explain your lessons or understand your Saturn transit better than an astrologer.  

Saturn can be just down right mean. He can take away your love, your money and your health and throw it in the trash.  He refuses to return it until you learn your lesson.  Saturn wants you to learn your lessons and learn them so well you won't forget. Right now Saturn is opposed my Sun and I am learning to live by my wits and write lengthy prose to a young astrologer named Leah. Saturn forces you to get up and get your act together. 

The other planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto affect you and your peers about the same way. You all get together, call it a study group and learn your lessons whether you want to or not.  

Eclipses

Then there are eclipses. They interrupt or rip the electrical field that protects the earth's atmosphere. In 2005 there was an eclipse visible over New Orleans.  In August everyone there learned a lesson as did the folks who were devastated by Rita. The eclipse of July 22, 2009 could be seen by folks in the Philippines and in India and China.  It is their turn.  The eclipse of January 2010 also will be visible in that area.  Astrologers have know about this phenomena for probably at least 10,000 years.  Mark Twain wrote about it in his book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  Thus the aphorism Knowledge is Power.

Everything I mentioned above influences companies large and small.  You can read about them in the Textbook for Financial Astrology. 

You didn't want that long of an answer  Sorry

Euro vs Dollar

Folks have been asking me about the Dollar and the Euro and what will happen to either one when traded on the open market.  Currency traders make money in factions of a cent and the discussion below gives you the general trend for each currency.  Travelers need to know how the currency they earn stacks up against the currency they need to use in another country. 

Traders: The general trend for the Euro is increasing value until mid January and then get out of the trade.  The general trend for the Dollar is also up but do not buy any contracts expiring in July.  

Travelers: Pay for your trip as much as possible in the currency you earn. Have fun!  The best souvenirs are great photos.

The Euro's birthday is January 1, 1999 at 12:00 am. Frankfort Germany. The chart for the Dollar's birthday is October 15, 1974 9:00 am? Philadelphia, Pa.  Each currency is trying to win the Black Gold medal. Charts and discussions are available in The Textbook for Financial Astrology

Euro

The week of November 8 the Euro has the advantage with Saturn trine Neptune followed by Jupiter trine Mars. The markets imagine that they see a fair and equitable structure backing the Euro. They see a great deal of energy backing the currency and the possibility that it will be the preferred paper for exchange of natural resources.  

Dollar

Venus makes a conjunction to the Dollar's Neptune.  The dollar has earned some imaginary value through exports of the creative new component parts for electronic gear. Neptune has been  conjunct the dollar's Pluto since 2008. This very long transit assists the increasing power of computing industry still in early development. Therefore the dollar has supplied the leverage that mitigates the immediate needs for energy sources.

Euro

From the New Moon to the Full Moon December 1st the Euro stabilizes and keeps its value as the European banks refill their reserves.  Although Uranus will station close to the Euro's Jupiter it will only have the effect of forcing the computer maintenance workers to put in endless hours of repairs, refurbishing and installing machinery at the Euro's central bank buildings.

Dollar

The Dollar takes advantage of the quiet and begins to increase its positions. Jupiter is trine the Dollar's Sun expanding its influence as a valuable paper for trade.  This aspect is followed by the exact conjunction of Neptune to Pluto the export platform that has kept the Dollar's underlying value above 70 cents.  Mid December Jupiter makes a conjunction to the Dollar's Pluto and the real trade value of the Dollar is favorably assessed.  Jupiter sextiles the Dollar's Jupiter and the Dollar's reputation continues to improve until January 11th when Jupiter makes a square to the Dollar's Saturn.  

Accounting tensions concerning fair trade come to the attention of traders. These tensions resolve with Jupiter sextile the Dollar's Mars, opposes Uranus and trines Neptune and Mercury.  Until February 26, 2010 it appears that the dollar puts up a good battle against the other currencies based on its inner strength and the value of exports sold in dollars.

Euro

Mid December the Euro has Saturn conjunct its ascendant keeping it close to home while Pluto square the Ascendant continues to force the Euro to think about its trading power.  Jupiter and Neptune trine the Euro's Moon helps the public realize that the Euro is a valuable currency to exchange for material resources, especially computing devises used for commerce.

The Euro recognizes its trading power in commerce when on January 13 Pluto makes a conjunction with the 4th house cusp. However, the eclipse is conjunct the Euro's Venus and its value could plummet quickly.

The results of this skirmish:  Dollar 2, Euro 3.  The Euro has an excellent defense but the Dollar's experienced traders are keeping an otherwise weak offense working with extreme dexterity. The battle will heat up in the Summer when the Dollar's Moon is hit by an eclipse.

Question #2 from Nora

Here is Nora's (our young student) second question.

2. For someone who knows nothing of the topic, what would be the best way to approach an understanding for astrology? 

Observation is the best way to learn anything. Observation becomes experience. Every experience becomes your truth. You learn that all the looney birds come to your place of business during the Full Moon. Your favorite policeman eats lunch at your favorite restaurant every Full Moon, because he has the day off.  Soon you begin to draw a conclusion that the Full Moon has a special significance.  You read that surgery during a Full Moon is not a good idea, because the patient tends to bleed excessively. Then you read that women who are not on the pill have their period during the Full Moon.  It doesn't take long to gather a bunch of observations and some conclusions. 

Pretty good Eh?

One day the Chicago Tribune failed to published the horoscope column in the daily paper.  That day still holds the record for the largest number of phone calls complaining about the newspaper's content.

Usually people read their Sun Sign horoscope on the web or in the newspaper.  Usually they say my schedule says nothing like that will happen today and usually it doesn't.  It is very difficult to predict for one-twelfth of the world's population. However some astrologers are very good at Sun Sign astrology and Rick Levine who writes for AOL is one of them.  

Another way to approach the topic is to talk about nature.  There are wall calendars (usually the ones that contain advertising for your local hardware store)that mark the  best days for fishing or for planting vegetables.  Those days are not chosen at random or by magic. They are determined by the sign the Moon is transiting. Farmers and fishermen actually pay attention to them.  

The Old Farmers Almanac is based on a secret formula according to their publisher.  If you know astrology you can decipher much of the formula.  Farmers use the Almanac to plan their crops.   We castrate our animals who need it when the Moon is in Sagittarius because they will bleed less.  We double check with several calendars just to make sure of the date before we call the vet to do the operation.  

Traders on financial markets trade by the phases of the moon. Full Moon sell, New Moon buy.  I usually write about that phenomena. I talk about the research on the topic in my Financial Astrology Textbook. Wall Street traders are not going to talk about buying or selling according to the moon when interviewed by the newspapers or on TV because that would cut into their profits if everyone did it.  But enough traders do know this little secret of the universe that the blips up and down are small.

There are lots of fun books for folks interested in beginning astrology and free websites that will calculate your chart.  However the best way to convince yourself that astrology works is to have a professional read your chart.  One of my friends went to an astrologers convention and had every astrologer she could find read her chart.  That is a pretty expensive way to convince yourself that astrology works, but today she is one of our finest astrologers.

Relationship Question

On the blog I will share the answers to questions asked by a young student.  Huge volumes have been written on each of her questions. 

First question: How can one predict the nature of a relationship using astrology?

There are a number of ways depending on the type of relationship under investigation. People like each other for a number of reasons that you can identify quickly by putting together the horoscopes. Often you will find Sun signs next to each other get along very well. For example: an Aquarius likes Pisces folks and Capricorn folks.  Moon signs have to match by element for folks to have affection for each other. A person with a Moon in Gemini will adore a person with a Moon in Libra. 

But in order to have a real sexual attraction with someone that lasts for more than a week Mars and Venus for each horoscope have to match by element.  If someone has a Mars in Aries and they meet a person with a Venus in Sagittarius they will find an attraction.  Will it go beyond 'you are cute'?  Only if the Suns and the Moons also get along and then their Mercury's actually say "Hi."  

Now there is something called soul mates. This is indicated by the sign of the North and South Node.  If all of the above come together and the nodes are in the same sign you have a relationship that could become anything from a business partnership, best friends, or a marriage.  

You often find best friends are about the same age meaning that their nodes are in the same sign, If their Suns are next door or in the same element and their Moons are also in the same element then you have a long term friendship. 

Relationships also work in financial astrology. 

I belong to an Apple users club that started in July 2007.  Its Jupiter is exactly conjunct the Mercury of Apples IPO (the date they offered their stock for sale).  The club also has Mars conjunct the Jupiter of the date Apple Computer was incorporated. One member of the club was hired to design applications for the I phone during the past year.

My stock club has the Sun in Cancer. We reluctantly sold our stock in Barnes and Noble which had a Sun in Scorpio and Moon in Cancer. We made an excellent profit at the time.  It was hard for the group to sell it because we loved their stores. However, Amazon was a threat and we decided to invest in their company. We won't have any trouble selling Amazon since its Incorporation and IPO do not have any Cancer planets.