We are in a rare period right now where there are no planets in retrograde motion.  John McCormick’s excellent research from his classic book “The Book of Retrogrades” reports that all planets are “direct” (moving forward) only eight percent of the time.  Retrograde planets tends to cause us to look backwards in whatever area of life a particular planet rules.  With all planets moving forward, we can see some real progress for a couple of weeks.

That could shift on the 20th when Mars turns retrograde, something that only happens every two and a half years or so.  But for now, it appears that the economy in the United States may be turning a corner with a Jobs report that cites statistics showing that the bleeding of US jobs is slowing.  

It’s hard to call that really good news, but the Obama administration will take good news where they can find it, and there is a report that they are discussing using the repaid TARP money to stimulate more job production.  

Uranus changed direction on December 1, a shift that nearly always brings a surprise of some sort and a reversal in the financial markets, and this one witnessed a 111 point rise in the Dow on the 1st.  The week following the Uranus shift has brought erratic highs and lows as investors swing from optimism to pessimism on a daily basis.  In fact today, the Dow shot up 150 points in the first 15 minutes, and then the rally dissolved and the Dow closed up only 23 points.  

Jupiter (positive thinking and optimism) is fast approaching a conjunction to Chiron (wounding and healing) and Neptune (spiritual longing and idealism) that is likely to create a sense that we are moving through the healing process and ready for the next step. I believe that this euphoria will last, on and off (fueled by shifts in Mars movements) until February when we have a double whammy of Saturn/Pluto and Chiron/Neptune challenges.  

For now, though, I and my investments plan to enjoy the party.