• Tip for the coming period
• Negotiation - a good time for it
• Interesting website of the month
• Libra quote

Tip for the coming period

I know not everyone always wants to hear about the US and yes, I wrote about it last time. But as it really does have an influence on the global economy, my tip this month is to watch what happens there on or around October 19th. This date marks the end of a long event in the sky which affects Venus - money belonging to her domain. There are other planets in the mix (notably Ceres - see my blog) but I think insight can be gained from focusing on one piece of the puzzle.

The planet Pluto has been messing with Venus in the US chart. Five direct hits form the 'high' points, however this process began at the beginning of 2009 and should start declining after the 19th October this year.

The dates when the energy mix was the strongest were March 9th, May 1st and December 26th all in 2009. This year we have had the fourth high point on August 8th and the last is fast approaching as I write this.

Interestingly around this first date, the US indices such as the NASDAQ were at their lowest since the crisis began in 2008. It was also the time of the court case of Bernard Madoff, the banker accused of causing heartache and loss for a lot of investors. Pluto trying to weed out dross? On the 9th March the US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke said the world was suffering from the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. The December date brought the US the "underpants bomber" which I imagine affected the airline industry again. The car industry also reacted to these dates.



Pontiac photo from Mail Online site which states: A 1968 Pontiac GTO. GM is expected to announce the death of the Pontiac brand today as it struggles to stay afloat - dated 27th April 2009 just before one of the peak dates.

Perhaps the August date this year highlights how the US is dealing with the crisis in an underhand Big Brother kind of way (never a good idea). An August 9th headline: "Financial rewards for whistle-blowers at US firms are expected to bring a surge in tip-offs to the financial watchdog." However it also produced the first payment from BP for the oil (Pluto) spill: "BP makes its first deposit of $3bn into a $20bn account to pay for the oil spill after finishing talks with the US Department of Justice." Is this the way they are going to try to solve the problem and fill the coffers?

Pluto is a planet that tries to purge, clean and get rid of rubbish. In Venus's case he wants a transformation of anything financial (amongst other things). The banks have obviously been part of this but has the US learned anything? Or made the most of the opportunity to drastically modify the whole financial system? I doubt it, which makes me wonder what Pluto has in store. He also can be the harbinger of death and the US is struggling against the increasing strength of China and India - perhaps this is the death of US power on the world stage. Pluto definitely concerns power and powerlessness. Maybe he will go underground again as he likes to do but that doesn't mean the problem is solved. Last chance for the US to get it right is this October or face the consequences next year when Uranus takes his turn at changing the financial system. He will probably use his favourite technique, more shocks, until 2012 if they fail to respond. So no, the global financial crisis is definitely not over.

If you want to discover what Venus in your company chart means, take advantage of my special rate and contact me for a consultation before Sagittarius time this year on November 22nd.

Negotiation- it's a good time for it...

... if the world is anything to go by. The UK had to reach compromises in forming a Cabinet. The new Australian leader, Julia Gilliard, needed good negotiation tactics and FINALLY we have a cabinet again here in the Netherlands after the last one fell in February this year. We now have a fellow Aquarian as a Prime Minister. I hope he does us proud! I suppose being born on Valentine's Day must be good for something. Mark Rutte is the first Liberal Dutch leader since WWI. The current planetary aspects are bringing people born in the sixties, who resonate with today's alignments, into powerful positions. Since the elections in June this year, negotiations have been the order of the day. Thank goodness for Saturn in Libra, our sign of the month. Responsible if slow negotiation.

Libra - the sign of balance and taking all sides into account. It seems the world is sick of the opposite Aries approach, competition and winning, first past the post, and an economy that rewards this. And selfishness. Time to pause and be forced to look at several different viewpoints and to deal with them. It has been a difficult, nail-biting, interesting time here as there was one seat separating the two parties who received the most votes in the elections. The end result is a minority government with support from the Freedom Party led by the anti-Koran Geert Wilders (also a product of the sixties), currently in court on a charge of inciting discrimination and hatred. Freedom of speech forms a big part of the defence, again a Libra topic at the forefront, different views requiring to be heard.

Photo from Phil Nijhuis/ANP - remember Geert (left), Aquarians (Mark right) are always right!

I wrote about Saturn in Libra in my last Libra zine, and the themes are still relevant and visible in the world. I said then "The trick in business is to take fair decisions and have balanced leadership." David Cameron who to be 'fair' is a Libran so understands this, said at the party conference "We need a new conversation about fairness." and he has been on about fairness often lately, particularly in relation to child benefits in the UK.

However I was contemplating the idea of negotiation, which I am no good at at all. If you make me an "Offer I can't refuse" - I almost never do! I suspect I am not alone. One of the things I read on the topic suggested that we are never taught these skills and that resonated with me. Indeed competition and winning are often rewarded. In the paper recently there was an article on how we need more women in the cabinet (fairness again?) because we women are better at compromise and binding people together. I'm afraid I agree with my Aquarian mate Mark on this who said he doesn't believe in quotas for the number of women in leading roles - he has chosen the best qualified people to be his ministers in cabinet - hear hear! Quotas are no way to achieve equality. And anyway I'm not convinced that women are better at this than men, I see some pretty confrontational women in my practice!

Cartoon from a great site Stu's Views.

It is an interesting acknowledgement though that we all need to act together more. We need to discuss and look at the viewpoints of one or more parties. After all, that is democracy. I think everyone needs more training in this to emphasise the power of Venus, the ruler of Libra. Not that Venus was all love and light in the mythology, but we could learn from her negotiating skills! She didn't take off her girdle for no reward. She also used her skills to win a competition judged by Paris, which eventually led to the Trojan War - not much harmony in that but at least she got what she wanted.

And lastly, I can't fail to mention the story dominating the news, the heartwarming story of the Chilean minors - all safe and sound as I write this. Without teamwork, negotiation and different countries working together the rescue would never have happened - and I must say that it is nice to have a GOOD NEWS story for a change, see my blog for more on this. It is a coincidence that it happened in Libra time?

Faye Cossar
Founder of Juxtaposition

By the way I'd love to hear what you think of Juxtaposition's blog...you can comment there.

Interesting Website of the Month

A fairly long but well structured and useful article on how master negotiators work. Improving negotiation skills from who better than someone in that Libran profession, a lawyer,Thomas Noble.

Libra Quote

"Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Libran who at 79 has just retired, although whether he will disappear from the world stage remains a question mark. I hope not.


I was watching Randy Newman last night on BBC4 ( I'd forgotten how much I liked him) and this seemed appropriate for this zine, maybe I'll add a song each time... 

Lyrics to "The World Is't Fair" by Randy Newman:

When Karl Marx was a boy
he took a hard look around
He saw people were starving all over the place
while others were painting the town
The public spirited boy
became a public spirited man
So he worked very hard and he read everything
until he came up with a plan

There'll be no exploitation
of the worker or his kin
No discrimination 'cause of the color of your skin
No more private property
It would not be allowed
No one could rise too high
No one could sink too low
or go under completely like some we all know

If Marx were living today
he'd be rolling around in his grave
And if I had him here in my mansion on the hill
I'd tell him a story t'would give his old heart a chill

It's something that happened to me
I'd say, Karl I recently stumbled into a new family
with two little children in school
where all little children should be
I went to the orientation
All the young mommies were there
Karl, you never have seen such a glorious sight
as these beautiful women arrayed for the night
just like countesses, empresses, movie stars and queens
And they'd come there with men much like me
Froggish men, unpleasant to see
Were you to kiss one, Karl
Nary a prince would there be

Oh Karl the world isn't fair
It isn't and never will be
They tried out your plan
It brought misery instead
If you'd seen how they worked it
you'd be glad you were dead
just like I'm glad I'm living in the land of the free
where the rich just get richer
and the poor you don't ever have to see
It would depress us, Karl
Because we care
that the world still isn't fair

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