Mercury turned retrograde yesterday. It'll move backwards through the zodiac for the next three weeks, retracing its steps for the first time this year. Time to look back, review, reconsider, dust off unfinished ideas, dreams and plans and either complete them or declare them done.

Mercury is in the Zodiac Sign of Aquarius, and will remain in Aquarius without changing Signs until it turns direct again in mid-February.

Interestingly, in terms of root meanings 'consider' originally meant 'to observe the stars'. So to reconsider is to once again put your mind together with the stars and planets (the word 'planet' = wandering star). Re = back, again. Con = with. Sidus = star.

There's much more information about Mercury's retrograde movements throughout 2008 in this article http://astrology21.co.uk/p1mercretro2008.html

The whole sub-prime credit-debt crisis was, naturally, directly related to the Saturn-Neptune opposition of the past 2-ish years. I haven't written about it before now because, quite frankly, I find it stupid and annoying that the whole fiasco wasn't avoided in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but no, these so-called experts knew better. Common sense isn't that common - so what's new?

It demonstrates some of the worser things that can happen with planetary cycles if we don't make the most of them, and take the opportunity to set things on the best course beforehand. Astrology isn't for prediction, it's for knowledge and insight so that we can make wiser choices to change tracks when we're heading for outcomes we'd rather avoid if possible or at least mitigate.

Today's report by the Commons Treasury Committee points fingers at the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), as well as Northern Rock's directors, so I thought I'd dig out the charts of the FSA and the FSCS, and re-look at the charts for the Northern Rock too.

FSA
The FSA has been criticised before. It seems to be one of New Labour's new creations, or at least it's been 'reformed' under New Labour, a political party and project which itself resonates with the Saturn-Neptune cycle, as has been previously written about on this blog and its affiliated website.

The FSA has a slightly unusual status and history. There are several import dates that constitute 'birth chart' dates of various types. The chart for when it began being reformed by New Labour shows Venus - financial matters - at 21 degrees 22 minutes of Sagittarius, which is closely square the Saturn-Neptune opposition of February 2007 at 20 degrees 15 minutes of Leo/Aquarius, and almost exactly square the Saturn-Neptune opposition of June 2007 which was located at 21 degrees 47 minutes Leo/Aquarius. The Ascendant-Descendant axis of this FSA chart - and we can't be 100% certain that the chart time is correct, so we need to be cautious about this - is at 22 degrees 15 minutes of Leo/Aquarius.....

FSCS

The chart for the legal creation of the FSCS is also the chart for when the FSA started being responsible (some would argue 'irresponsible') for building societies and the prevention of market abuse. This chart has Uranus at 21 degrees 19 minutes Aquarius, closely conjunct/opposite the Saturn-Neptune opposition at 21 degrees 47 minutes Leo/Aquarius.

Bank of England

The Bank of England was given independence by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - arguments remain about who is entitled to claim most credit for the idea - immediately after (New) Labour won the 1997 General Election. The chart for this date has Jupiter at 20 degrees 6 minutes Aquarius, closely conjunct the Saturn-Neptune opposition at 20 degrees 15 minutes Leo/Aquarius.

So it's finally here..... Pluto moves into Capricorn this weekend. It'll briefly move back into Sagittarius later on, but all told will remain in Capricorn for the next 16 years, so we have a new flavour to the times in which we live.

It's followed by Mercury's first retrograde period of the year, beginning on Monday 28th. Time to review those new year's resolutions, and other unfinished ideas.

Just two days later, Mars turns direct on 30th. Mars is clearly visible in northern hemisphere evening and night-time skies at the moment, not far from the easy-to-find Orion constellation.

The three are connected:

When Mars stations and turns direct it's opposite Pluto, and trine Mercury, so there is a 'stationary trine' between Mercury and Mars, along with the 'half-stationary' Mars-Pluto opposition.

So let's be extra-careful with our impulsive angry words, jumping to conclusions, and desire for revenge.

Interesting one this, although the birth data is limited.

The only data readily available for the bank is that for when Napoleon III made an authorisation decree. This is the date given on the official website for the bank. With no time available, we can't calculate house cusps or an exact position of the Moon. Here is the chart we get:

The Sun is at 14 degrees 14 minutes of Taurus.

The two planets connected with fraudulent activity are Neptune and Pluto. These are the planets of subversion, hidden goings on, deception, undermining structures, and so on.

Currently, Pluto is making a close sesquiquadrate aspect to the bank's Sun in Taurus.

We don't have the full birth data for the person who the media has named as the 'rogue trader', Jerome Kerviel, we only have his date of birth (assuming it's correct, too - no doubt time will tell). But checking the planets' positions for that date of birth we find a sextile between Neptune and Pluto:

Neptune is at 15 degrees 00 minutes of Sagittarius
Pluto is at 14 degrees 11 minutes of Libra.

This means that Jerome Kerviel's Neptune and Pluto make a 'Yod' or 'Finger of Fate' formation with the Societe Generale's Sun.

(His Saturn is also involved, being square to the bank's Sun)

Last month's quadruple conjunction of Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Pluto, opposed by the Moon and Mars, lined up with Kenya's Mars at 4 Capricorn 56.

Over the days of Kenya's election (27th Dec) and the announcement of the election result (30th Dec), the Sun moved beyond the opposition with Mars, and then Jupiter and Pluto both moved towards the opposition, closer to exactitude.

By 30th December, when Mwai Kibaki was announced as the winner and then sworn in as President amidst allegations of vote-rigging and the like, the Moon formed a T-square with the Jupiter-Pluto and Mars opposition.

Mars and Pluto will stay in opposition until March, signifying an intense next few months for the whole world. When Mars stations and turns direct on 30th January, just four days after Pluto enters Capricorn, it will be within orb of the opposition with Pluto. This could well be a very tense time indeed. It's essential that we syphon off the aggressive, confrontational, wilful energy in constructive ways and channel it into creative outlets.

It's likely that the global mood during this time is one where negotiation and compromise are welcomed less, which makes them all the more essential. Playing hardball and being willing to fight for your grievances are likely; grievances and anger need to be thoroughly listened to with patience, as much good humour as can be mustered, and with a detached ego rather than one eager to jump to its defence when feeling under attack. A desire for revenge needs to be altered at its roots, and instead a healthy resolution of differences is called for, respecting everyone's right to life.