You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you, No-one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. Pink Floyd - 1973
There’s been a lot of fear in the lead up to 2012, not only because of the speculation surrounding the Mayan Calendar, but because of the shaky economic climate and environmental disasters of the past few years. When reading these 2012 predictions, always remember that life is what you make it. Yes, we are living in revolutionary times, but your attitude and contribution are what really makes a difference - together we can thrive and survive. Challenging times bring out the best in us and make us realise what is really important. For most of us this is the love of friends and family; good health; financial stability and a meaningful existence. Think of 2012 as a year to get rid of old habits, revolutionise your life and embrace the future with confidence! And while governments, banks and economies may be crumbling, there a definite rise in the number of people seeking to balance the mental and material with a more heart-centred, environmental and spiritual approach. Planet Earth is still a beautiful place to be.
HEADLINE ASTROLOGICAL TRANSITS FOR 2012
1) The volatile Uranus-Pluto cardinal square (which makes no less than seven hits between 2012 and 2015 mirroring the social, political and artistic revolutions of the late 1960s)
2) The continued impact of revolutionary Uranus in fiery and impatient Aries (harbinger of the Arab Spring, UK riots and Occupy Wall St protests PLUS the exponential and mindblowing developments in science and information technology)
3) The endless creative possibilities of soul-centred Neptune in creative and visionary Pisces (growth in spiritual consciousness, explosion of creativity and virtual reality)
4) The upheaval of transformational Pluto in business-minded Capricorn (global financial/economic crisis, eurozone freefall, housing and stock market fluctuations, challenges to government authority)
5) The Mars retrograde transit through health-conscious earth sign Virgo (intensified focus on health and environmental issues)
Let's take a look at how these planetary transits could play out this year.
Spirituality & Healing
Neptune’s move into feminine water sign Pisces is creating a mass spiritual awakening. Sound healing, colour healing, ritual, dreamwork, meditation, yoga, altered states of consciousness and the sacred feminine are all becoming more and more mainstream, just as Neptune’s transit of air sign Aquarius (1998-2011) made technology fashionable and widely accessible. This is clearly good news for alternative health practitioners and their customers. We could even see increased government funding and support for these modalities.
Environment
Australia is one of the most beautiful, unspoiled countries in the world and yet our land is constantly under threat from greedy and unsustainable development. With Pluto in earth sign Capricorn, it’s time to get real about looking after our planet, instead of viewing environmental activism as some kind of left wing, green pastime. More and more communities are embracing this concept, setting up communal gardens and caring for local parks and waterways. And after a thirty year battle, industry and environmental groups are finally working together to protect and preserve Tasmania’s old growth forests. We can expect other issues such as carbon tax, protection of marine parks; coal seam gas mining and live export of cattle to remain on the national environmental agenda. Given the unpredictability of Uranus and the fiery nature of Aries, we should prepare for an increase in heat waves, droughts, floods, earthquakes, cyclones and other ‘Acts of God’.
Fashion, Beauty & the Arts
The Arts will continue to flourish both on and off line as Neptune in Pisces stimulates our appetite for film, fashion, beauty, glamour and music. The trend is towards fantasy and escapism, coupled with adventure and excitement. Sustainable fashion is here to stay. Expect a move towards organic and natural fibres – sumptuous silks, mohair, cotton and wool. There will be increased interest in where our clothes come from and how they were made. We’ll be doing more recycling, macramé and patchwork and more people will learn to embroider, knit and crochet. With Aries and Pisces influencing collective tastes, we are already seeing a move towards sporty, adventurous styles in vibrant colours coupled with a taste for military fashion, sheen and metallic finishes and short cropped hair (Uranus in Aries). At the other end of the spectrum, expect ultra-feminine, romantic styles, with pinks and pastels worn with long flowing hair (Neptune in Pisces). 2012 is a year of revolution. Don’t play it safe – create your own look!
Government & Politics
Uranus in Aries accelerates the pace of social change, boosting the collective urge to rebel against the status quo and create new forms of government. As we’ve seen over the past year (UK riots, Arab Spring & Occupy Wall Street), any government that acts in an autocratic or unfair manner will be faced by massive grass roots protest fuelled by the power of the internet and social networking. We're likely to see more unrest in the Middle East including popular uprisings in Dubai, an economy founded on quasi-slave labour. The Occupy Wall Street protest may be a movement, a momentary phenomenon or something in-between, but one thing its most fervent activists insist it's not is a team of shock troops for any political campaign. Many have praised the protests as a place to nurture the exchange of new political ideas entirely outside of the two-party system. Neptune in Pisces favours the more vulnerable members of society. We could see protests from the disabled, those seeking same-sex marriage and those who feel they’ve been exploited sexually or economically. And with experts calling Australia's detention centres ‘mental illness factories’, 2012 is our chance to stand up for more compassionate treatment of refugees.
Media & Social Networking
Uranus in Aries equals instant results. Whatever you think of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, they’ve completely revolutionised the way we communicate and do business and will continue to do so. Whether it’s the convergence of ‘online’ and ‘offline’; consumers discovering and promoting new products with the help of their friends, fans and followers, or rapid information exchange, we are entering an all-pervasive ‘screen culture’. On line video will explode exponentially, so if you’re in business, it’s definitely worth including video as part of your marketing mix. Money & Finance Under the volatile Uranus-Pluto energy, the advice continues to be to pay down debt, build up savings, strengthen your financial position and avoid speculation or over-extending yourself. Housing is becoming more unaffordable, employment less predictable and people more debt ridden and dependent on credit. It is entirely possible that what has happened to house prices in the USA and the UK could happen here in Australia. While this picture may sound gloomy or depressing, we are still very well off compared to most Western countries. A little forward planning and realism on the financial front will go a long way.
Health
Most of us are working harder than ever before and this takes a toll on our emotional and physical health. Free time, fresh air, quality food and pure water seem more and more desirable, yet more and more elusive, but we all know that good health is the basis of a happy life. With an increase in the number of people suffering from lifestyle and stress-related diseases and addictions, it’s important to take time out to look after yourself and your family, even if this means earning less money or giving up some of life’s 'luxuries'. Jupiter's journey through sensual Taurus will encourage us to see the body as ‘our temple’ and consider the bounty, beauty and healing powers of nature. We are particularly fortunate in Australia to have easy access to parks, beaches, forests, nature reserves and unspoiled wilderness.
Business & Technology
Mobile technology will become the dominant communications platform and companies will need to come up with innovative ways of retaining key employees such as allowing them to work remotely or offering flexible working hours and conditions. As consumer loyalty continues to shift from high street retail to online shopping, businesses with a human face, excellent customer service and who are honest about their flaws will thrive. Customers are looking for empathy, generosity, and flexibility and prefer companies with environmentallyfriendly practices. And with customers sharing their shopping experiences, both good and bad, via social media, no longer can companies hide their flaws behind expensive PR. We all have access to technology, but if you want your company or business to stand out, show your customers how much you care.
International Economy
It is clear from the US financial meltdown and the European debt crisis that individuals, corporations and governments can no longer survive on deficit spending and unrestrained borrowing. The bubble has burst. Countries are going bankrupt. House prices are falling. Governments in Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain have been ousted. The euro is under threat, currencies are being devalued and debts written off. A series of negotiations, bailouts and austerity packages have failed to stop the slide of investor confidence or to restore the growth needed to give struggling European countries a way out of their debt traps.
The US economy is especially vulnerable to the European crisis as the EU is their number one trading partner. 'It won't take much to tip us into another recession,' said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University, Channel Islands. 'If Europe gets into any deeper trouble, it will take us and the rest of the world down, too.' So on the European/US front we can expect rising unemployment, further stock market collapse and an increase in inflation. In contrast, China looks set to become the new world power broker with companies, nations and even cash-strapped monetary unions looking to the Chinese to bail them out.
However, China's manufacturing activity has recently contracted for the first time in almost 3 years as the Eurozone debt crisis and a sluggish United States economy hits exports and slows domestic demand and the Shanghai Index has fallen 30% since May. This clearly has implications for the Australian mining industry. The question is whether the People's Bank can do any better than the US Federal Reserve at deflating a credit bubble. So, there are my predictions for 2012. And remember - despite the economic gloom, there is absolutely no need to buy into the collective fear - you can make a difference! I hope your year is happy, successful and abundant and filled with love and a sense of purpose.