by Christine Hall
As we move into the new year sabers are rattling and war drums are being pounded around the world. Our government is amassing enough fire power in the Persian Gulf to bring intelligent life in the region to a complete halt, the North Koreans are threatening (presumably nuclear) war if the world community places economic sanctions on their mismanaged economy, and the Israelis and Palestinians are no closer to peace than they were a year ago. The whole world, it seems, is preparing for something akin to World War III.
If this weren’t bad enough, the new year also brings us an economy that seems to be hopelessly stuck in the mud. As soon as we get one wheel to stop spinning the other looses traction and we find ourselves going nowhere fast. It would seem that the exporting of blue collar jobs and the means of production to third world countries has disabled the economic four wheel drive that could help pull us out of this morass. The President, of course, is promising a new economic stimulus package. The question is: will it be enough and will congress quit bickering long enough to get it passed so we can find out?.
With all of these forces at work, I am reluctant to bring out the astrology and numerology charts in an attempt to foresee what the new year will bring, even though this annual looking ahead has become something of a tradition in this column. I truly believe that numerology and astrology can give us glimpses of what might lie ahead, but I am not a fool enough to believe that the stars can stop a war if all parties are intent on starting one or that numbers derived from dates can bring about an economic recovery when there is no wisdom being applied to economic issues.
Still, tradition is tradition, and the dabbling in astrology and numerology are rather benign diversions. There are other traditions, like religious intolerance, that need to be immediately broken. This tradition, however, is harmless and may serve to give us insight into the happenings on the world stage.
In ancient numerology, 2003 is a five, and from this number we can get an idea of the major theme of the year. On the plus side, the number five is represented by the card The Hierophant in the Tarot. This means that this will be a year when there are lessons to be learned. Although this may bring images of lush green college campuses and quiet study within learned halls, we must remember that lessons are often learned the hard way, which is underscored by the fact that the number five also represents Mars, the planet of machismo and the god of war.
Like all years, the new year was born on the first day of January, and 1/1/2003 is a seven. From this number we discover the lesson that we are to collectively learn this year. In the Tarot, seven is represented by The Chariot, dealing with travel and boundaries, which would indicate that boundary issues will be on our educational agenda this year.
In light of current events, this would not seem to bode well for our immediate future, since warfare is almost always about boundaries (“don’t cross that line”). The number seven also represents the planet Venus, which is femininity and the goddess of romantic love. Although we don’t have the space to go into all of the things that the ancients believed about this number, suffice it to say that boundary issues are nearly always emotionally based.
Alas, this unfortunate numerological conjunction of Venus and Mars is further supported by astrology. As the new year begins, both planets are close together, in Scorpio, a sign known for lashing-out emotionally. It would seem fortunate that as the year begins Mercury, the planet of intelligence, is in practical Capricorn, until we realize that Mercury is nearly always in Capricorn on New Year’s Day since it follows the sun through the sky. The only good thing I can see here is the fact that Mercury is not retrograde, meaning that communications should be clear.
Things don’t look any better for the end of January, which is when the pundits say we can expect President Dubya to make is decision of the fate of Iraq. By month’s end, Venus, Mars, the Moon (which rules unconscious issues) and Pluto (a generational planet that rules huge groups of people) will all be lined-up in Saggitarius, which is ruled by the ego. There might be some help from the fact that Mercury will still be in Capricorn and the Sun will have moved into Aquarius, a sign that attempts to mediate emotional issues through the intellect. In any case, it’s going to be an interesting ride.
Christine Hall has been working as a journalist since the 1970s. She currently hosts a weekly radio show of sixties music, The Sixties in 60 that can be heard every Sunday at 6 pm Eastern Time on The Barrel of Rock.
