The Dow Jones industrial average had a chaotic day yesterday, crashing more than 1000 points and then careening wildly back up.  At the end of the day the Dow had dropped about 3%.

According to the Washington Post:

Some price swings of stocks defied logic. The shares of  Accenture, a consulting firm, fell from $40 to a single penny and then back to $40 again. Procter & Gamble traded at $54 on the New York Stock Exchange. But at the same time, Nasdaq was reporting that the company’s shares were selling for $39.

These technical glitches (Mercury Rx) in themselves did not cause the panicked sell-off on Wall Street yesterday but the resulting anxiety and unease reflects the current planetary cycles.  As I wrote in Lynn’s Skywatch for May, there is a shortage of the air element which suggests a lack of objectivity.  

In addition, Saturn and Neptune have slowed down to a standstill in preparation for their change of direction at the end of the month (Saturn will turn direct and move forward, Neptune will turn retrograde).  The force of both planets is more intense than usual with Saturn creating tests and challenges, and Neptune showering us with confusion and delusion.  

To complicate matters further, Jupiter (confidence and optimism) is within range of a conjunction to Uranus (radical change) and both planets are opposite Saturn.  Wild swings of all kinds are common with Jupiter/Uranus combinations, as are incredible new inventions and other brilliant ideas.  Jupiter/Uranus wants to be positive and enthusiastic and resists any effort to curtail one’s freedom, and Saturn puts the brakes on creating resistance and repression.

There’s nothing inherently negative in the planetary cycles right now that suggest another crash or correction is likely – in fact, I’ve been predicting that the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in May and June would bring back a certain amount of the “irrational exuberance” we saw in the stock market while Pluto was in Sagittarius.  But with three planets changing direction this month (Mercury will turn direct on May 11), be prepared for twists and turns.