ASTRAL REFLECTIONS
BY TIM STEPHENS
MARCH 30 - APRIL 5, 2008

	All times/dates are PDT.
	Back in 2003/4 I wrote that investment banks were heading for their Armageddon. Then, nothing happened - in fact their stock prices went up. I was basing that forecast on the south lunar node traveling through Scorpio. Often the south node tempts us to do things or enter situations that seem tantalizingly boffo at the time, when in reality a subtle flaw permeates the entire state of affairs. Later, we find we're in a trap that is difficult to retreat from without a major sacrifice. It was about this time that banks and brokerages feverishly engaged in sub prime mortgages and mortgages at 125 per cent of a house's worth, and began to spin the complex webs of CDOs, SIVs, ABCPs and other exotic, risky lending practices that have seized up like a hot motor.  
	Now the mess surrounds us. As I woke and sipped my first tea last Friday, Bear Stearns, one of the American mega-banks, fell in half in the wink of an eye - from $ 57 to $ 27. A half hour later, it climbed back to $ 34. Then, Monday, it fell to $ 3! The reason? It couldn't pay its debts. The government (the Fed) joined hands with a healthier bank, J.P. Morgan, to help it buy Bear Sterns - for $ 2 a share! This wasn't a fire sale; it was a furnace. That was a fall, over several months, from $ 158, taking it not only back to its 1980's price, but below. Bear Stearns is (so far) the worst case among the mega investment banks, but Citigroup has lost two-thirds its value ($ 55 to $ 18). Canadian banks, among the most secure in the world, are gasping for breath. Many mortgage companies worldwide, even the biggest, have gone bankrupt; those that didn't, were rescued by the government (e.g., Northern Rock in England) or by the rare banks that didn't jump into the 2002-2006 credit fun-fair (e.g., Countrywide, bailed by Bank of America). Well, I told you in the "2008 Year Ahead" forecast that there'd be some good companies for sale, cheap! ("Good," though?)
	Ah well. I also wrote in the "Year Ahead" that "the feared '2008 recession' should be a memory by March." And added, "If it's not, expect cataclysmic upheavals." So, is it cataclysmic yet? You tell me, I'm tired of predicting.
	Despite these financial and stock market wrenchings, 08 remains a great year for practical projects, including starting a business. Interest rates, as I forecast, have fallen since June 2007, and the "business aspect" (the planet Jupiter trine Saturn) could hardly be better. The trick is, do you have credit? If so, this might be the time to invest in Saturn's things: watches and clocks, land (especially commercial/industrial) infrastructure, bones (e.g., osteo-medical firms) tin, lead, cement/sand, etc. Good luck!

Start Nothing: 9:54 p.m. Sun. to 6:34 a.m. Mon., 2:14 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. Wed., and 2:43 p.m. to 5:27 p.m. Fri.

Aries   March 21-Apr. 19
Your energy, charisma and effectiveness, already high, get an additional boost Wednesday onward (jetting you into more travel and talk) and another Saturday (bringing a sweet infusion of affection from others). Start significant projects, ask favors, attend interviews - go, take charge! Your sexual, financial, career and "lifestyle change" interests slow down mildly now to September, bringing either a reprieve or a delay (depending on how you see it). This is a "second breath" before you launch powerfully into a new career or new life. Be gentle on home fronts! 

Taurus   Apr. 20-May 20
Continue to rest, recuperate, contemplate and plan, to April 19. Deal with government agencies, institutions and head office. Be spiritual and charitable. Mid-week signals a minor change in these - perhaps new links, a shuffle at head office, or the end of a semi-secret association.  Sunday's mellow, filled with big concepts ad wide vision. Be ambitious Monday/Tuesday. All proceeds smoothly. Your hopes rise Wednesday to Friday - get out and have a little fun (you might not be up for a lot of fun). Seek sweet solitude Friday eve and Saturday. 

Gemini   May 21-June 20
I'll keep saying it - don't overspend. A domestic or property situation might chew up your bank account, through many small wasteful bites. Instead, pay down debt, invest or bank money. The same applies to sex - consequential depths are better than casual sensual interludes. (Sunday's super for these, sex and big money.) Your hopes fly high now, as social delights, flirtations, new horizons and plans buoy your days! Your popularity rises - this could give you a hint that 12 years of "opposition" is ending. Aries might be your best ally. 

Cancer   June 21-July 22
The emphasis lies on career, prestige, community reputation, and relations with VIPs, parents, authorities and bosses. You're very ambitious and determined now, so add a bit of diplomacy and gentleness. Relationships are powerful all year - especially Sunday, when you could strike a lucky note with someone, open an opportune door, or see your "main chance!" Get up early and stay at it late. Life's depths swell to the surface Monday/Tuesday - proceed steadily to your goal in financial, intimate, research, health and lifestyle zones - all's well. Career news/hunches need study. 

Leo   July 23-Aug. 22
Sunday offers lucky employment. Relationships are quiet but sweet Monday/Tuesday. Avoid sex, finances, secret areas and commitments Wednesday; embrace them Thursday. The weeks ahead present a complex picture. On the one hand, legal, international, religious, intellectual, cultural, love, far travel, publishing and educational matters are favored and lucky. On the other hand, they need extra care, can become burdensome - someone might even use these things against you. (E.g., Barack Obama, a Leo, was ambushed by his pastor's "God Damn America" diatribe.) So proceed, but carefully, alertly - especially April 4-6. 

Virgo   Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Lifestyle changes and consequences, a big financial commitment/investment, bonding physically with another, these raise your hopes March to May. A related problem "turns the corner" this weekend, leaving you free to proceed with optimism, courage and determination - and with the encouragement of a crowd, a group, or at least one or two supporting allies! Go forth and make that commitment. The result can be a mortgage, pregnancy, a whole new life, financial payoffs, and/or a new knowledge of love. Research yields rewards. March 30 and April 4-6 are significant.

Libra   Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Be diplomatic and keep your humor intact March through early May in career, business, prestige, "power corridor" and reputation areas. Be patient with impatient bosses. April can bring a powerful ambitious or status-oriented partnership, perhaps with a bigwig - or a power struggle with your spouse, business partner, strangers or the public at large. Much depends on you, your ability to laugh at human foibles - including your own! (Friday/Saturday are significant.) Luck arrives in property or domestic zones Sunday. Quietly pursue romance or pleasure Monday/Tuesday. Work hard but cautiously Wednesday/Thursday. 
 
Scorpio   Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Work, work, work faces you - might as well dive in (especially Friday eve, Saturday). Protect your health; dress, eat and sleep properly. Legal, international, religious, intellectual, cultural, love, far travel, publishing and educational matters need extra care, can become burdensome - yet they might inject a shot of luck into your work efforts, could even lead to a raise or bring a step toward promotion, such as admittance to a special planning committee. (Still, avoid legal hassles.) Settle into domestic quietude Monday/Tuesday. Romance and creativity provide a wee relief mid-week. 

Sagittarius   Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Romance, creative surges, pleasure, beauty and speculative joys - you're riding a winning streak, especially April 4-6! (This luck faces two minor obstacles or break-offs through April 6, then your luck sails free and clear, and higher, into mid-April.) If you're unattached, a co-worker attracts - not the best idea if you want a long-term life-mate, but okay for a tempestuous year or so! Pounce on a lucky money situation Sunday. Short trips, conversations and paperwork flow easily Monday/Tuesday. Go slow, ease into security and domestic concerns Wednesday p.m. to Friday. 

Capricorn   Dec. 22-Jan. 19
These weeks emphasize home, family, garden, nature, security, retirement, and a tendency to quit some situations/relationships and to nurture others. Think about where you've been, where you've come to, and who surrounds you now. Your future is changing massively, so use April to align yourself anew, to shift direction. Where to? Wherever your yearnings and hopes, lead you - you're familiar with them. Relationships remain intense, for good or bad. One is likely to end. April 2 to 6 contain significant "shifts." You're lucky Sunday - tale advantage! Chase money Monday/Tuesday. 

Aquarius   Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Lie low Sunday - contemplate your friends, network contacts, and future. You'll likely come up with the beginnings of a lucky plan. Unless you live in Asia, Sunday brings sweet, mellow quietude. Be alone. Your energy and charisma soar Monday/Tuesday - start significant projects, ask favors, see and be seen. All is smooth, easy. Take care in chasing money or spending Wednesday p.m. - Thursday, Friday favor these. Take a short trip, or run errands, meet others, Saturday. A significant, career-affecting change is coming to your contacts, how you travel and communicate. 

Pisces   February 19-March 20
Chase money in April - you'll be lucky with this, especially where you take a chance. But be alert and cautious April 2 to 6, when a couple of new money situations (problematic ones) could arise. They're minor obstacles, but they're also hints of larger trends ahead - larger problems if you don't adjust, large rewards if you do! A wish might come true Sunday - get out, mingle, seek friends - you'll be happy. Seek quietude Monday/Tuesday - all is well, and you can make progress with governmental, institutional, spiritual or charitable projects. 


www.astralreflections.com. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-261-1337.



				/30/