August 2008
BUSINESS OUTLOOK: August 2008
Overview
As I sit down to write this I'm thinking of Phil Gramm's recent comment that America has become a nation of whiners. My guess is that if you polled astrologers as to which particular zodiac sign is the "whiniest," the clear winner would be the sign of the crab, Cancer. So as America was born on July 4th, in the sign of Cancer (also Phil Gramm's sign by the way...as well as that of George W. Bush), it seems that we are only guilty of acting out the national personality type that has been cosmically allotted to us.
This August it seems a fair bet that we will continue to whine. As a Cancer himself, Phil Gramm doubtlessly knows that the whining spigot is not easily attached to a flow of clarity and noble intent. Whining comes from that murky interior place full of our shadow monsters, from the depths of which fears of poverty, pain and failure surface unbidden and makes us want our mommies.
While there is every astrological reason to expect a continuation of our national angst, August does promise to be more than a sniffle-fest. In fact, the individual American citizen may actually appear far more resolute and in touch with brain and spirit than they have for a while. People in all areas of the culture, including those most closely attached to producing and consuming, will have a penchant for knowing who they are, correctly assessing what they think and feel, and a willingness to make that one profound move or declaration that will set all other problems to rights.
Now in America, this 'one profound move' often boils down to buying a new car, terminating a spouse, or in a presidential election year committing to a candidate. A very strong Leo theme in this month's cosmic alignment would seem to make Obama, a Leo, the people's choice and focus of attention this month, but Virgo John McCain has some pretty dismal weapons at his disposal to hammer on that angst thing and he will definitely be around. The real point I'd like to make here, though, is that no matter how much personal certainty is brought to divorce court, or to buying a new car or to picking a politician, rarely is this the end of all problems.
The real danger this month is that individuals who are entirely sure of themselves will make audacious choices that involve the idealization or demonization of people and principles that have no real substance or are being bizarrely assessed. To put it a slightly different way, when someone is very sure of themselves there's often little room left for the legitimate perception of others, and the real danger here is one of self-activated victimization and shattered dreams. People may feel oddly good about themselves this month but they are likely to do a poor job of reading others, who will appropriate their own personal freedom to make large stupid mistakes and, ultimately, experience their own angst.
On a happier note the Olympics are shaping up as must-see TV. Competition should be intense and the tube should do a stellar job of taking us there. Many unexpected and diverting performances would appear to be in store...and we could certainly use the escape. (As a somewhat relevant aside, it is very interesting to note that the Olympics are slated to begin at 8 PM local China time on 8/8/08. Guess which number is considered the luckiest in the Chinese system of numerology? And why is feng shui now considered so acceptable by American business, but astrology is most often treated like a ho? Yes, I have my own issues.)
Sell oil. Buy gold.
History Rhymes
The World According to Garp - Jonathan Irving's protagonist, T.S. Garp, summarizes the zeitgeist of his (and today's) times when he observes "life is an x-rated soap opera." Decades before the bizarre folks who populate today's so-called "reality" television shows, Irving introduced us to such characters as Roberta Muldoon, professional football's first post-career transsexual; Jenny Fields, an international feminist icon whose passing is commemorated at a violent males-prohibited funeral; and Garp himself, the writer/wrestling coach son of Jenny and a lobotomized soldier sperm donor. Key to the novel is a sense that people are rarely granted a life on their own terms, and are frequently made false icons in the value systems of others. It's worth appreciating now, as Garp observed then, that "serious" and "funny" are simply different ways of seeing the same thing.
The Caging of Tony Silva - A lifelong conservationist, a distinguished author, and an internationally acclaimed protector of endangered species, Tony Silva was sentenced to seven years in prison when the courts ruled he was actually a smuggler of rare birds, including more than a million dollars' worth of the extremely rare and beautiful hyacinth macaw. Years after his release he compared himself to Noah, claiming that he was merely trying to protect the birds from extinction. The photos of dead birds, a smuggling operations manual, and a telephone taped offering of 50 macaws for sale, all produced in evidence at his trial, told a different story. This month be careful to separate the conservationist from the con.
New York Newspaper Strike - In the late summer and through much of fall of 1978, New York City experienced a strike at its daily newspapers. Museum patronage and Sunday brunches boomed. Florists, in a world without newspaper obituaries, reported a decline in funeral-related business. People had to look at each other on subways and, as was reported in an article in Time Magazine, it became much less fun to go to the bathroom. Just some thoughts if we should ever lose the Internet for a couple of weeks...
Strange Days
August 6 - Aggressive confrontation is stamped on this day in bloody red letters. Everyone is hair-trigger anxious and nobody gets what is really going on. Avoid crowds and spur-of-the-moment thinking. Hiding out would be an excellent choice.
August 21 - Every once in a while the cosmos cuts a little slack, and being alive suddenly turns into a whole bunch of active fun. Today is likely to be one of those days. Everyone suddenly seems so darn smart and sexy and up for a good time. Very profitable power plays are also available to those determined enough to grasp the gold ring.
August 30 - Take this day very seriously and you could be off to a most worthwhile new beginning. Hard work and the settling of accounts are on tap today, but there's also a glimpse of the new road rising.
For more info, visit www.stevenmarkweiss.com.
To contact Steve directly, smw@stevenmarkweiss.com.
Overview
As I sit down to write this I'm thinking of Phil Gramm's recent comment that America has become a nation of whiners. My guess is that if you polled astrologers as to which particular zodiac sign is the "whiniest," the clear winner would be the sign of the crab, Cancer. So as America was born on July 4th, in the sign of Cancer (also Phil Gramm's sign by the way...as well as that of George W. Bush), it seems that we are only guilty of acting out the national personality type that has been cosmically allotted to us.
This August it seems a fair bet that we will continue to whine. As a Cancer himself, Phil Gramm doubtlessly knows that the whining spigot is not easily attached to a flow of clarity and noble intent. Whining comes from that murky interior place full of our shadow monsters, from the depths of which fears of poverty, pain and failure surface unbidden and makes us want our mommies.
While there is every astrological reason to expect a continuation of our national angst, August does promise to be more than a sniffle-fest. In fact, the individual American citizen may actually appear far more resolute and in touch with brain and spirit than they have for a while. People in all areas of the culture, including those most closely attached to producing and consuming, will have a penchant for knowing who they are, correctly assessing what they think and feel, and a willingness to make that one profound move or declaration that will set all other problems to rights.
Now in America, this 'one profound move' often boils down to buying a new car, terminating a spouse, or in a presidential election year committing to a candidate. A very strong Leo theme in this month's cosmic alignment would seem to make Obama, a Leo, the people's choice and focus of attention this month, but Virgo John McCain has some pretty dismal weapons at his disposal to hammer on that angst thing and he will definitely be around. The real point I'd like to make here, though, is that no matter how much personal certainty is brought to divorce court, or to buying a new car or to picking a politician, rarely is this the end of all problems.
The real danger this month is that individuals who are entirely sure of themselves will make audacious choices that involve the idealization or demonization of people and principles that have no real substance or are being bizarrely assessed. To put it a slightly different way, when someone is very sure of themselves there's often little room left for the legitimate perception of others, and the real danger here is one of self-activated victimization and shattered dreams. People may feel oddly good about themselves this month but they are likely to do a poor job of reading others, who will appropriate their own personal freedom to make large stupid mistakes and, ultimately, experience their own angst.
On a happier note the Olympics are shaping up as must-see TV. Competition should be intense and the tube should do a stellar job of taking us there. Many unexpected and diverting performances would appear to be in store...and we could certainly use the escape. (As a somewhat relevant aside, it is very interesting to note that the Olympics are slated to begin at 8 PM local China time on 8/8/08. Guess which number is considered the luckiest in the Chinese system of numerology? And why is feng shui now considered so acceptable by American business, but astrology is most often treated like a ho? Yes, I have my own issues.)
Sell oil. Buy gold.
History Rhymes
The World According to Garp - Jonathan Irving's protagonist, T.S. Garp, summarizes the zeitgeist of his (and today's) times when he observes "life is an x-rated soap opera." Decades before the bizarre folks who populate today's so-called "reality" television shows, Irving introduced us to such characters as Roberta Muldoon, professional football's first post-career transsexual; Jenny Fields, an international feminist icon whose passing is commemorated at a violent males-prohibited funeral; and Garp himself, the writer/wrestling coach son of Jenny and a lobotomized soldier sperm donor. Key to the novel is a sense that people are rarely granted a life on their own terms, and are frequently made false icons in the value systems of others. It's worth appreciating now, as Garp observed then, that "serious" and "funny" are simply different ways of seeing the same thing.
The Caging of Tony Silva - A lifelong conservationist, a distinguished author, and an internationally acclaimed protector of endangered species, Tony Silva was sentenced to seven years in prison when the courts ruled he was actually a smuggler of rare birds, including more than a million dollars' worth of the extremely rare and beautiful hyacinth macaw. Years after his release he compared himself to Noah, claiming that he was merely trying to protect the birds from extinction. The photos of dead birds, a smuggling operations manual, and a telephone taped offering of 50 macaws for sale, all produced in evidence at his trial, told a different story. This month be careful to separate the conservationist from the con.
New York Newspaper Strike - In the late summer and through much of fall of 1978, New York City experienced a strike at its daily newspapers. Museum patronage and Sunday brunches boomed. Florists, in a world without newspaper obituaries, reported a decline in funeral-related business. People had to look at each other on subways and, as was reported in an article in Time Magazine, it became much less fun to go to the bathroom. Just some thoughts if we should ever lose the Internet for a couple of weeks...
Strange Days
August 6 - Aggressive confrontation is stamped on this day in bloody red letters. Everyone is hair-trigger anxious and nobody gets what is really going on. Avoid crowds and spur-of-the-moment thinking. Hiding out would be an excellent choice.
August 21 - Every once in a while the cosmos cuts a little slack, and being alive suddenly turns into a whole bunch of active fun. Today is likely to be one of those days. Everyone suddenly seems so darn smart and sexy and up for a good time. Very profitable power plays are also available to those determined enough to grasp the gold ring.
August 30 - Take this day very seriously and you could be off to a most worthwhile new beginning. Hard work and the settling of accounts are on tap today, but there's also a glimpse of the new road rising.
For more info, visit www.stevenmarkweiss.com.
To contact Steve directly, smw@stevenmarkweiss.com.
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