May 2008
BUSINESS OUTLOOK: MAY 2008
Overview
Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Last month a caution was provided regarding the general untrustworthiness of communications and the aimlessness of over-thought plans. In this period, while one may expect to encounter a reasonable functionality in ordinary daily events, the collective brain is essentially being given the month off. As Guinevere suggests in the naughty Camelot tune quoted above, this May is very much likely to prove itself a month of "divine mistakes."
Now quickly, this is not entirely meant as a caution (although maybe it should be, but what the heck, tra la). In general, the planets seem to be quite fortunately aligned in this period, particularly with regard to partnerships. It's not an easy feat to balance intense emotional expression with a healthy dose of real world sobriety, but the planetary positions suggest we may just be able to pull this off in our personal spheres right now. Any close relationship entered into or refreshed with an honest heart at this time is likely to produce real psychological benefits...and maybe a few material ones as well.
Okay, that's the good news. The rest of it is not necessarily bad news. But I have to admit that the crystal ball is real, real foggy here.
What this May seems to portend is a considerably prominent event or set of circumstances that is primarily anchored in mass emotional reality. The astrological symbolism suggests such terms as "female," "mother," "family," "home," "security," "kitchen," "nurturer," and invokes a link to water, either actual (the ocean) or symbolic (oceanic consciousness). The emphasis appears to be far more on the unexpected than the tragic, but whatever it is I'm writing about here is likely to produce a tidal wave of emotion that risks sweeping away the crowd without any clear (i.e. thought out) sense of purpose or direction.
Obviously, this could be a troubling development. But remember one thing. It's May (tra la).
History Rhymes
You're The One That I Want - Close your eyes and experience it in your head. Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) are the cutest damn high school couple you've ever come across in this lifetime. And they're dancing, and singing, and they're dressed alike, and they're finally going to get it on! If you find yourself lost or searching for a deeper meaning this May, just play this song...or Franki Valli's rendition of Grease...on a loop in your head and you'll be perfectly in tune with the zeitgeist.
Jerry Maguire - I know how much you want to be cynical about this. A sports agent has an ethical dilemma that costs him his job, but the right client and the right woman bring about not only renewed riches but also spiritual enlightenment? I know this sounds lame in a column that purports to be about the business outlook...but sell this right now and you're going to make a bundle. Really, you'll have them at hello.
Jimmy Carter Visits Tobacco Country - When Jimmy Carter became president he appointed Joseph Califano as the Secretary of HEW. Califano, one may recall, was one of the greatest anti-smoking crusaders of all time, labeling smoking "public enemy number one." This was not a big hit in North Carolina, so Carter was persuaded to visit the state to mend political fences. Rhetorically, the highlight of the visit was a comment by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture James Graham that "too much of anything will kill a person." (One insider has also commented that Carter was inadvertently assigned a staging room that had a flea infestation, so some in the crowd were primarily watching Carter during his remarks to see if he would scratch.) Keep most of your formal expectations at the Heehaw level this month and you'll be right on top of it.
((I missed it when I first wrote this outlook, but one of the key 'shadow events' of this period is former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's "irrational exuberance" comment. Investors will remember that the global markets were badly spooked by Greenspan's late 1996 suggestion that investment assets were becoming unduly inflated. This roof-jumping concern lasted all of several trading days, after which the markets really roared into the stratosphere. And it wasn't even May.))
Strange Days
May 11 - Despite all the amazing and prescient insight you've been granted here regarding just how silly, frothy, and punctuated by craziness this month may be, today you are bound to get very serious at some point and to try to herd all the damn cats in your life at once. This is a very bad day, in an otherwise hugely tolerant month, to try to bear all the world's burdens or to attempt to force your will on the person for whom you care most.
May 17 & 18 - If you are planning to get married this month, I hope for your sake that this is the weekend. If you're not planning to get married, you should get married anyway. In all endeavors this is a wonderful time for what matters most to your heart. (To be fair, there may be a brief cranky squall early on Saturday evening...but oh the delights of making up.)
May 26 - Obviously life is never really as frivolous as I may have indicated in this particular outlook. Sometimes, though, when we are not taking ourselves so seriously, something is free in our spirits to soar to higher ground. Pay close attention to this day and you may get a glimpse of the world is...or should be...heading. Watch for that "tidal wave of emotion" here.
For more info visit: www.stevenmarkweiss.com
To contact Steve personally: smw@stevenmarkweiss.com
Overview
Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Last month a caution was provided regarding the general untrustworthiness of communications and the aimlessness of over-thought plans. In this period, while one may expect to encounter a reasonable functionality in ordinary daily events, the collective brain is essentially being given the month off. As Guinevere suggests in the naughty Camelot tune quoted above, this May is very much likely to prove itself a month of "divine mistakes."
Now quickly, this is not entirely meant as a caution (although maybe it should be, but what the heck, tra la). In general, the planets seem to be quite fortunately aligned in this period, particularly with regard to partnerships. It's not an easy feat to balance intense emotional expression with a healthy dose of real world sobriety, but the planetary positions suggest we may just be able to pull this off in our personal spheres right now. Any close relationship entered into or refreshed with an honest heart at this time is likely to produce real psychological benefits...and maybe a few material ones as well.
Okay, that's the good news. The rest of it is not necessarily bad news. But I have to admit that the crystal ball is real, real foggy here.
What this May seems to portend is a considerably prominent event or set of circumstances that is primarily anchored in mass emotional reality. The astrological symbolism suggests such terms as "female," "mother," "family," "home," "security," "kitchen," "nurturer," and invokes a link to water, either actual (the ocean) or symbolic (oceanic consciousness). The emphasis appears to be far more on the unexpected than the tragic, but whatever it is I'm writing about here is likely to produce a tidal wave of emotion that risks sweeping away the crowd without any clear (i.e. thought out) sense of purpose or direction.
Obviously, this could be a troubling development. But remember one thing. It's May (tra la).
History Rhymes
You're The One That I Want - Close your eyes and experience it in your head. Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) are the cutest damn high school couple you've ever come across in this lifetime. And they're dancing, and singing, and they're dressed alike, and they're finally going to get it on! If you find yourself lost or searching for a deeper meaning this May, just play this song...or Franki Valli's rendition of Grease...on a loop in your head and you'll be perfectly in tune with the zeitgeist.
Jerry Maguire - I know how much you want to be cynical about this. A sports agent has an ethical dilemma that costs him his job, but the right client and the right woman bring about not only renewed riches but also spiritual enlightenment? I know this sounds lame in a column that purports to be about the business outlook...but sell this right now and you're going to make a bundle. Really, you'll have them at hello.
Jimmy Carter Visits Tobacco Country - When Jimmy Carter became president he appointed Joseph Califano as the Secretary of HEW. Califano, one may recall, was one of the greatest anti-smoking crusaders of all time, labeling smoking "public enemy number one." This was not a big hit in North Carolina, so Carter was persuaded to visit the state to mend political fences. Rhetorically, the highlight of the visit was a comment by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture James Graham that "too much of anything will kill a person." (One insider has also commented that Carter was inadvertently assigned a staging room that had a flea infestation, so some in the crowd were primarily watching Carter during his remarks to see if he would scratch.) Keep most of your formal expectations at the Heehaw level this month and you'll be right on top of it.
((I missed it when I first wrote this outlook, but one of the key 'shadow events' of this period is former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's "irrational exuberance" comment. Investors will remember that the global markets were badly spooked by Greenspan's late 1996 suggestion that investment assets were becoming unduly inflated. This roof-jumping concern lasted all of several trading days, after which the markets really roared into the stratosphere. And it wasn't even May.))
Strange Days
May 11 - Despite all the amazing and prescient insight you've been granted here regarding just how silly, frothy, and punctuated by craziness this month may be, today you are bound to get very serious at some point and to try to herd all the damn cats in your life at once. This is a very bad day, in an otherwise hugely tolerant month, to try to bear all the world's burdens or to attempt to force your will on the person for whom you care most.
May 17 & 18 - If you are planning to get married this month, I hope for your sake that this is the weekend. If you're not planning to get married, you should get married anyway. In all endeavors this is a wonderful time for what matters most to your heart. (To be fair, there may be a brief cranky squall early on Saturday evening...but oh the delights of making up.)
May 26 - Obviously life is never really as frivolous as I may have indicated in this particular outlook. Sometimes, though, when we are not taking ourselves so seriously, something is free in our spirits to soar to higher ground. Pay close attention to this day and you may get a glimpse of the world is...or should be...heading. Watch for that "tidal wave of emotion" here.
For more info visit: www.stevenmarkweiss.com
To contact Steve personally: smw@stevenmarkweiss.com
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