BUSINESS OUTLOOK: November 2008
Overview
Do actions always speak louder than words? Consider the toddler fearful of monsters in the closet. Does that child's long-term emotional well-being depend on the actual presentation to her of the head of a dead monster, or would a parent's affectionately cooed comfort be a preferable form of ministration?
Perhaps the illustration is a clumsy one but it is relevant to these times. The point is simply that there are instances in which action, however well-intentioned, yields pain, dissolution and failure for beings who are not ready to engage in action or prepared to experience its consequences. At such times, it is reasonably argued, a well-crafted expression of hope and comfort regarding how things are going to be better tomorrow may actually trump any ill-timed effort to aggressively get up in the grill of monsters, bosses, fate or city hall today.
In this month that will greet the election of a new American president, the cosmos seems to be cautioning against anyone's over-inflated sense of empowerment or achievement. If anything seems celestially certain right now it is that acts are not being rightly connected to their motivations, nor are straight lines being drawn to their eventual true outcomes. We are very much in the dark right now regarding ourselves, our relationships and our culture, with a particular conflict being experienced between the strict and sober material obligations that life places upon us and our desire to be free to create a better future without the hoops through which vested powers make us pass. Astrology is suggesting that we have not now the energy, the discipline, the vision, nor the resources essential to crafting entirely pragmatic or personally fulfilling solutions.
Having observed this, and by consequence having thoroughly rained on everyone's political parade, let's talk about the month's bright spot. This is in fact an excellent moment for avatars of courage, character and mature consciousness. We are now in a wonderful place to receive the care of that strong parent who affectionately and convincingly tells us that there are no monsters in the closet, that they are alert to any intrusions, and that it's now time to get some sleep so we can grow up big and strong.
Ironically, what will likely separate the winners and the losers in the period ahead (and astrology suggests a time frame to be measured in years rather than months) is an ability to take an adult's view of the world, i.e. one that rejects the childish instant gratification dynamic that had so dominated modern culture in recent years. There is every reason for the best among us to now believe that we can embark on a rebirth of sorts, one that is dependent upon a willingness to trod a difficult historical path in the present for the ultimate betterment of our physical, social and spiritual beings on down the road.
Those individuals who can now give voice to our desire for rebirth will be valued in any arena, including the business sphere, in which they operate. You will know them not by their solemnity, but through the exuberance and friendly idealism that they bring to describing a better time and place...and the people we may yet become to inhabit that place.
Meanwhile, and I'm entirely serious about this, do yourself a favor by getting some extra rest and a flu shot.
History Rhymes
"Perhaps I love you more..." - The students of Catholic University, in Washington D.C., shouted their adoration of John Paul II, the new pope who was making his first visit to America. It was two years before the attempt on this beloved leader's life, so the 'Popemobile' days and the Papa's increasing ill-health were fortunately yet to manifest. On this day, this robust and deeply spiritual man was simply present to the crowd with an immediacy that the future would not permit. "We love you," chanted the students, and his spontaneous answer came to define his papacy. Later on in his trip, during a rainy day stop in Boston, he made another poetic observation, one that we may well take to heart today: "America the beautiful, even when it rains."
"It's a world that forces lifelong insecurity..." - When Bob Marley's Survival album was released, listeners were surprised by its strident political tone. Now judged by many to be the best work the reggae artist ever produced, the album presents an unflinching lyrical look into the heart of black oppression, dealing with terrible issues such as slavery, starvation and genocide. What is perhaps most remarkable about this work, however, is that this truly dark diatribe is set to a percussive rhythm that absolutely makes the spirit soar. "Live without hate," "feel your heart," "put your dream to reality," exhorts Marley in the midst of the madness. Or, as he admonishes in the tile of the work's last track, "Wake Up and Live."
"...irrational exuberance..." - Can it already be 12 years since Alan Greenspan spoke the phrase that sent such an Arctic shiver down the spine of the stock market? Nobody much understood the whole speech that Mr. Greenspan gave to the American Enterprise Institute that day, and the damage done to market prices was temporary to say the least. But there was something undeniably chilling in the Fed chairman's suggestion that asset values might be escalating too quickly and beyond reasonable levels. What we are going through economically today...well you can't say that Jupiter didn't try to warn us.
Strange Days
November 6 - This is a day that might bring heavy challenges within your closest partnerships. The key is to observe your own thinking on this date. Is your partner the only narrow-minded individual in the equation?
November 9 - Life is likely to feel more than a little shakey this Sunday. Try to be as flexible as you can, as a rigid outlook will invite the most serious upsets and difficult opposition.
November 13 - This could very well be a fortunate day for those who are willing to think big. The trick is coming up with a concept of big that is big enough.
Note: I haven't gone deeply into it yet, but a quick glance at the horoscope for December indicates a surprisingly, and long overdue, positive tone. So hold on for now...and get that flu shot!
For more info, please visit www.stevenmarkweiss.com
To contact Steve directly: smw@stevenmarkweiss.com
Do actions always speak louder than words? Consider the toddler fearful of monsters in the closet. Does that child's long-term emotional well-being depend on the actual presentation to her of the head of a dead monster, or would a parent's affectionately cooed comfort be a preferable form of ministration?
Perhaps the illustration is a clumsy one but it is relevant to these times. The point is simply that there are instances in which action, however well-intentioned, yields pain, dissolution and failure for beings who are not ready to engage in action or prepared to experience its consequences. At such times, it is reasonably argued, a well-crafted expression of hope and comfort regarding how things are going to be better tomorrow may actually trump any ill-timed effort to aggressively get up in the grill of monsters, bosses, fate or city hall today.
In this month that will greet the election of a new American president, the cosmos seems to be cautioning against anyone's over-inflated sense of empowerment or achievement. If anything seems celestially certain right now it is that acts are not being rightly connected to their motivations, nor are straight lines being drawn to their eventual true outcomes. We are very much in the dark right now regarding ourselves, our relationships and our culture, with a particular conflict being experienced between the strict and sober material obligations that life places upon us and our desire to be free to create a better future without the hoops through which vested powers make us pass. Astrology is suggesting that we have not now the energy, the discipline, the vision, nor the resources essential to crafting entirely pragmatic or personally fulfilling solutions.
Having observed this, and by consequence having thoroughly rained on everyone's political parade, let's talk about the month's bright spot. This is in fact an excellent moment for avatars of courage, character and mature consciousness. We are now in a wonderful place to receive the care of that strong parent who affectionately and convincingly tells us that there are no monsters in the closet, that they are alert to any intrusions, and that it's now time to get some sleep so we can grow up big and strong.
Ironically, what will likely separate the winners and the losers in the period ahead (and astrology suggests a time frame to be measured in years rather than months) is an ability to take an adult's view of the world, i.e. one that rejects the childish instant gratification dynamic that had so dominated modern culture in recent years. There is every reason for the best among us to now believe that we can embark on a rebirth of sorts, one that is dependent upon a willingness to trod a difficult historical path in the present for the ultimate betterment of our physical, social and spiritual beings on down the road.
Those individuals who can now give voice to our desire for rebirth will be valued in any arena, including the business sphere, in which they operate. You will know them not by their solemnity, but through the exuberance and friendly idealism that they bring to describing a better time and place...and the people we may yet become to inhabit that place.
Meanwhile, and I'm entirely serious about this, do yourself a favor by getting some extra rest and a flu shot.
History Rhymes
"Perhaps I love you more..." - The students of Catholic University, in Washington D.C., shouted their adoration of John Paul II, the new pope who was making his first visit to America. It was two years before the attempt on this beloved leader's life, so the 'Popemobile' days and the Papa's increasing ill-health were fortunately yet to manifest. On this day, this robust and deeply spiritual man was simply present to the crowd with an immediacy that the future would not permit. "We love you," chanted the students, and his spontaneous answer came to define his papacy. Later on in his trip, during a rainy day stop in Boston, he made another poetic observation, one that we may well take to heart today: "America the beautiful, even when it rains."
"It's a world that forces lifelong insecurity..." - When Bob Marley's Survival album was released, listeners were surprised by its strident political tone. Now judged by many to be the best work the reggae artist ever produced, the album presents an unflinching lyrical look into the heart of black oppression, dealing with terrible issues such as slavery, starvation and genocide. What is perhaps most remarkable about this work, however, is that this truly dark diatribe is set to a percussive rhythm that absolutely makes the spirit soar. "Live without hate," "feel your heart," "put your dream to reality," exhorts Marley in the midst of the madness. Or, as he admonishes in the tile of the work's last track, "Wake Up and Live."
"...irrational exuberance..." - Can it already be 12 years since Alan Greenspan spoke the phrase that sent such an Arctic shiver down the spine of the stock market? Nobody much understood the whole speech that Mr. Greenspan gave to the American Enterprise Institute that day, and the damage done to market prices was temporary to say the least. But there was something undeniably chilling in the Fed chairman's suggestion that asset values might be escalating too quickly and beyond reasonable levels. What we are going through economically today...well you can't say that Jupiter didn't try to warn us.
Strange Days
November 6 - This is a day that might bring heavy challenges within your closest partnerships. The key is to observe your own thinking on this date. Is your partner the only narrow-minded individual in the equation?
November 9 - Life is likely to feel more than a little shakey this Sunday. Try to be as flexible as you can, as a rigid outlook will invite the most serious upsets and difficult opposition.
November 13 - This could very well be a fortunate day for those who are willing to think big. The trick is coming up with a concept of big that is big enough.
Note: I haven't gone deeply into it yet, but a quick glance at the horoscope for December indicates a surprisingly, and long overdue, positive tone. So hold on for now...and get that flu shot!
For more info, please visit www.stevenmarkweiss.com
To contact Steve directly: smw@stevenmarkweiss.com
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