September 2008
BUSINESS OUTLOOK: September 2008
Overview
One of the great general cautions in business is the admonition against reinventing the wheel. By this month, however, it has become abundantly clear that the wheel of commerce has gone more than a little flat. And what we're looking at may require more than a patch and a little sealant.
Quite frankly, the cosmos this month appears to be set out in such a way as to virtually insist that business managers be anything but complacent regarding a faith-based reliance upon things rolling right along. Now is the time when true leaders must take full responsibility for the heavy responsibilities they have in the lives of others, and they must wade through the natural group fear and resistance to establish and communicate an improved way of accomplishing community goals. Indicated at this time, it should be emphasized, is not some sort of wild eyed visionary leap into the world of tomorrow but rather a sober and pragmatic assessment of those things that overly smack of haphazardness and a fey idealism.
Needless to say, I'm not personally too happy to offer this assessment, for what is an astrologer without a fair dose of imagination and fey idealism? But there is no honest way of getting around the fact that this is a moment for responsible pragmatists whose wholesome expectations of success are grounded in their ability to work within an historical perception that unites the material lessons of the past with the material needs of the future. The key here, personal predispositions aside, is that this rational and sober approach to base building is granted a vibe of success this month, and the ability to successfully communicate to and with others over these matters is under a very fortunate planetary alignment.
Now if the preceding sounds like something that could ultimately cause unanticipated pain to a large portion of an untrained, undisciplined and self-indulgent population, let me offer the following insight...bingo! While clearly in search of strong leadership, the general population is emotional and insecure right now and they are, so astrology would indicate, keeping their deepest feelings and thoughts quite to themselves. For some it is money, and for some it is love, but a population embroiled in its own private wants is simply inclined to hand over the responsibility for running the world, although such abdication may easily fail to grasp the personal implications of what is bound to be these strong leaders' belt tightening austerity programs.
Ultimately, while the world will keep its eyes glued to the American elections this month, the real story is (and will remain for quite a while) one of resources (material and cultural). It's not easy to see how the current management mindset in this area will avoid causing considerable pain, but that is not to say that success is ultimately outside the realm of collective possibility. For most individuals the key will be to successfully sync with the reinvention of the resource wheel paradigm, as getting crushed under it seems the only other realistic, and certainly far less desirable, alternative.
History Rhymes
Yeltsin Victorious - In the summer of 1996, Boris Yeltsin became the first ever democratically elected president of Russia. While on the face of it such an election may well be considered one of the most significant paradigm-shifting political events of the late 20th Century, pundits have concluded that "democratically elected" may have well been seasoned with a fair amount of totalitarian "business as usual." Whether one cares to debate the role of politically-controlled media or military posturing or election rigging in Yeltsin's victory, the key here is that the conducting of an election doesn't automatically change the ethos of a vested centuries-old authoritarian culture. Capitalistic oligarchs may have replaced the role of Communist party members in Russia, but Yeltsin's win did little to change the reality of a power-driven autocratic central authority.
Jonestown - Nobody alive at the time will ever forget the human horror. Reverend Jim Jones was the charismatic leader of the People's Temple, a cult ostensibly based upon the principles of economic egalitarianism, civil rights and religious revivalism. In the fall of 1978, the group's leadership was exposed for practices ranging from sexual predation to intimidatory beatings, and the 1,000-member cult fled en masse to a compound in Guyana. Shortly thereafter on the heels of the murder of a U.S. congressional delegation come to investigate, 913 members of the cult, including over 200 children, perished in a coerced communal "suicide." Today, the world still wonders how any leader could cast such a deadly spell over a group of fairly ordinary citizens. Well, he promised to solve their problems, and they believed him, and he did.
Independence Day - Forget Will Smith for a second, and put Jeff Goldblum and Randy Quaid aside. Instead consider Bill Pullman as Thomas J. Whitmore the somewhat milquetoastish president who turns out to be an ex-fighter pilot and heads off to shoot down a few alien space jets himself when the action hits a crescendo. Somewhere during the movie, the mild mannered Whitmore comes to the realization that the aliens are galactic predators who consume a world's resources then move on "like locusts," and therefore should be "nuked." We lose New York, Los Angeles, Washington and Houston---among other population centers---but it's really the only decision he can make. So at the end he's feeling pretty good about himself amidst the carnage. There's a leadership parable for our times here, but it's way too obvious and painful to dwell upon.
Strange Days
September 9 - Luck does not always come on like a lightening strike. Here is a day for the tortoise rather than the hare, with a promise of those prizes that are said to come around after steady measured effort. This is not necessarily an easy or blithe day, but it is one that will grant a materially rewarding glimpse of long-range perspective and direction. Real mentors are available today.
September 14 - This day, which happens to be a Sunday, has a most significant stamp of abundance upon it. Now abundance can certainly take a lot of forms and it can energetically manifest as both inflow and outflow. But this is likely to be the sort of day that leaves just about everyone feeling broadened and enriched in some area of life. Nice.
September 16 - If there was a National Assertiveness Day, today would be a perfect fit. Certainly self-confidence has its uses, but on a day when everyone is feeling forceful and feisty the odds for conflict and collision are extremely high. Unless you like a good brawl, curb your impulses!
For more info, visit www.stevenmarkweiss.com
To contact Steve directly, smw@stevenmarkweiss.com
Overview
One of the great general cautions in business is the admonition against reinventing the wheel. By this month, however, it has become abundantly clear that the wheel of commerce has gone more than a little flat. And what we're looking at may require more than a patch and a little sealant.
Quite frankly, the cosmos this month appears to be set out in such a way as to virtually insist that business managers be anything but complacent regarding a faith-based reliance upon things rolling right along. Now is the time when true leaders must take full responsibility for the heavy responsibilities they have in the lives of others, and they must wade through the natural group fear and resistance to establish and communicate an improved way of accomplishing community goals. Indicated at this time, it should be emphasized, is not some sort of wild eyed visionary leap into the world of tomorrow but rather a sober and pragmatic assessment of those things that overly smack of haphazardness and a fey idealism.
Needless to say, I'm not personally too happy to offer this assessment, for what is an astrologer without a fair dose of imagination and fey idealism? But there is no honest way of getting around the fact that this is a moment for responsible pragmatists whose wholesome expectations of success are grounded in their ability to work within an historical perception that unites the material lessons of the past with the material needs of the future. The key here, personal predispositions aside, is that this rational and sober approach to base building is granted a vibe of success this month, and the ability to successfully communicate to and with others over these matters is under a very fortunate planetary alignment.
Now if the preceding sounds like something that could ultimately cause unanticipated pain to a large portion of an untrained, undisciplined and self-indulgent population, let me offer the following insight...bingo! While clearly in search of strong leadership, the general population is emotional and insecure right now and they are, so astrology would indicate, keeping their deepest feelings and thoughts quite to themselves. For some it is money, and for some it is love, but a population embroiled in its own private wants is simply inclined to hand over the responsibility for running the world, although such abdication may easily fail to grasp the personal implications of what is bound to be these strong leaders' belt tightening austerity programs.
Ultimately, while the world will keep its eyes glued to the American elections this month, the real story is (and will remain for quite a while) one of resources (material and cultural). It's not easy to see how the current management mindset in this area will avoid causing considerable pain, but that is not to say that success is ultimately outside the realm of collective possibility. For most individuals the key will be to successfully sync with the reinvention of the resource wheel paradigm, as getting crushed under it seems the only other realistic, and certainly far less desirable, alternative.
History Rhymes
Yeltsin Victorious - In the summer of 1996, Boris Yeltsin became the first ever democratically elected president of Russia. While on the face of it such an election may well be considered one of the most significant paradigm-shifting political events of the late 20th Century, pundits have concluded that "democratically elected" may have well been seasoned with a fair amount of totalitarian "business as usual." Whether one cares to debate the role of politically-controlled media or military posturing or election rigging in Yeltsin's victory, the key here is that the conducting of an election doesn't automatically change the ethos of a vested centuries-old authoritarian culture. Capitalistic oligarchs may have replaced the role of Communist party members in Russia, but Yeltsin's win did little to change the reality of a power-driven autocratic central authority.
Jonestown - Nobody alive at the time will ever forget the human horror. Reverend Jim Jones was the charismatic leader of the People's Temple, a cult ostensibly based upon the principles of economic egalitarianism, civil rights and religious revivalism. In the fall of 1978, the group's leadership was exposed for practices ranging from sexual predation to intimidatory beatings, and the 1,000-member cult fled en masse to a compound in Guyana. Shortly thereafter on the heels of the murder of a U.S. congressional delegation come to investigate, 913 members of the cult, including over 200 children, perished in a coerced communal "suicide." Today, the world still wonders how any leader could cast such a deadly spell over a group of fairly ordinary citizens. Well, he promised to solve their problems, and they believed him, and he did.
Independence Day - Forget Will Smith for a second, and put Jeff Goldblum and Randy Quaid aside. Instead consider Bill Pullman as Thomas J. Whitmore the somewhat milquetoastish president who turns out to be an ex-fighter pilot and heads off to shoot down a few alien space jets himself when the action hits a crescendo. Somewhere during the movie, the mild mannered Whitmore comes to the realization that the aliens are galactic predators who consume a world's resources then move on "like locusts," and therefore should be "nuked." We lose New York, Los Angeles, Washington and Houston---among other population centers---but it's really the only decision he can make. So at the end he's feeling pretty good about himself amidst the carnage. There's a leadership parable for our times here, but it's way too obvious and painful to dwell upon.
Strange Days
September 9 - Luck does not always come on like a lightening strike. Here is a day for the tortoise rather than the hare, with a promise of those prizes that are said to come around after steady measured effort. This is not necessarily an easy or blithe day, but it is one that will grant a materially rewarding glimpse of long-range perspective and direction. Real mentors are available today.
September 14 - This day, which happens to be a Sunday, has a most significant stamp of abundance upon it. Now abundance can certainly take a lot of forms and it can energetically manifest as both inflow and outflow. But this is likely to be the sort of day that leaves just about everyone feeling broadened and enriched in some area of life. Nice.
September 16 - If there was a National Assertiveness Day, today would be a perfect fit. Certainly self-confidence has its uses, but on a day when everyone is feeling forceful and feisty the odds for conflict and collision are extremely high. Unless you like a good brawl, curb your impulses!
For more info, visit www.stevenmarkweiss.com
To contact Steve directly, smw@stevenmarkweiss.com
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