My New Years resolution is to get the Psychick newsletter out at the beginning of each month (starting with next month :). So expect the next newsletter in a couple of days.

January's Newsletter is looking at the astrological forecast for the year ahead with a brief understanding of what happened last year. If you are not interested in what happened last year and want to get to the juice of 2002, jump to ***** but it really is worth the read…

Things have been looking bleak over the last year. Recession and war occupy centre stage. Political differences are disguised under the cloak of religion and threaten the stability of the world. The darkest areas of the collective psyche have been let loose and have emerged as racial and religious hatred.

The fact that there is an astrological basis for these events does not make them any easier to endure, but there are indications that 2002 will give us some opportunities to adjust to the enormous change our planet is undergoing.

Two planets have signified much of the difficult energy which has been evident. Pluto in Sagittarius is about redefinition of our concepts of society. He operates by excess, and when necessary by violence. The areas under his domain are infused with an intensity which forces them to breaking point, either by internal stresses or violet intervention. Our collective world view and the social structures and relationships which support it are being inexorably pushed to the limits. Pluto feeds on the darkness of human nature and strives for power at any cost. Acts of violence and terrorism provoke further acts of violence and terrorism, and so the cycle of vengeance continues.

Meanwhile Saturn in Gemini is prodding our everyday social interactions. His restrictions and limitations are designed to expose weakness, and we will see the result

When these two planets come into contact, as in the oppositions of August and November last year, the pressure on the social fabric becomes intense. It was expressed tragically last year in the attack on the heart of US political and economic domination. It could be seen in the tide of refugees around the world, some of whom tried to reach Australia and incited such fervent opposition. It could be seen in an outbreak of rapes in Sydney carried out by gangs immediately characterised in the media as "Muslim" against "Christian", which involved the initiators using mobile phones to call up to thirty others to join the rape. Pluto, the rapist (with religious overtones) and Saturn lending rapid communication to add to the enormity of the crime.

*****
In 2002, as war stirs again and new frontiers have run out, the world has suddenly become a lot smaller. National boundaries no longer define our existence, and huge technological advances have enables a merging of differences and a movement towards a single planetary identity (under the influences of Uranus and Neptune in Aquarius.)

We will continue in Saturn opposite Pluto energy until at least May, but the consequences will last considerably longer. There will also be significant social unrest in early September as Jupiter in Leo opposes Neptune in Aquarius and brings with it a wave of disaffection centred on the corrupt political and environmental practices of global economics.

There are indications of hope for this year. A number of beneficial aspects occur throughout the year which provide a chance to gain control of the rate of change. They will also work to ameliorate some of the more abrasive difficulties of Saturn in Gemini.