1996 - Promises Excitement and Change

The key to 1996 will be the moving of Uranus into the sign of Aquarius on January 12, 1996. Uranus is the modern Ruler of Aquarius. Uranus is a planet that prefers to ôdo itÆs own thingö. The same is true of course for Aquarians. It is said that they ômarch to their own drummerö. Oftentimes that is a drummer that none of the rest of us hear. One can always expect the unexpected here. If one says left, one might expect Uranus/Aquarius to veer right, since left is boring. We are speaking here of the original rebel! The revolutionary! The independent cuss who is hell-bent to have it his own way! All this and more apply to Uranus and Aquarius.

It doesnÆt take much to realize that when Uranus gets to itÆs home sign - the sign it rules - that it will be jumping for joy! You can almost hear the mantra from the skies, ôFree at last! Free at last!ö. One thing that Uranus will always demand - and get - is freedom! He will not be caged nor will he be thwarted. He has his own agenda, and you would do well not to interfere.

Uranus is so determined to have his way that he will literally destroy in an effort to get it. Rather than patch a ceiling, Uranus will tear it down and start anew! He seems to want to go to the extreme in anything he does. And many times he will do so in a way that you least expect. If you are in a close relationship with an Aquarian, you know this is also true of the natives. They simply will not be held back. If you try to rein them in, youÆll lose them every time! Your best bet is always to let them have their heads. If you will, theyÆll stay. Otherwise, they go!

Uranus is in each sign for seven (7) years. Therefore, it takes 84 years for it to return to itÆs Home Sign. Uranus last tripped through Aquarius from 1912 to 1919. A visit to that time will tell you a great deal of what we might expect to come our way. I neednÆt remind you that one thing it wrought was World War I, ôthe war to end all wars!ö

So we will now have Uranus to lead us into the next century, and you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be drastic changes - in everything we do throughout the world. One thing is clear - many, many governments will topple. There will be outcries and demands for change.

One of the major obstacles we will all be facing this coming year will be natural disasters, along with weather that is topsy turvy. One of the areas to watch very closely will be the State of California. There will be more problems with flooding, which of course can be devastating. The fires this spring will be particularly difficult as well. Throughout the year the potential for earthquake activity will be very strong. January will be a very threatening month, as will the summer months. There are some potentially difficult days ahead for our Sun and Fun State - and 1996 could be the first of several very hard years.

This upcoming year will also see the loss of an elderly and beloved leader here in the US. It will be considered a loss by all. Unfortunately, weÆre going to lose several leaders. There will be some world leaders as well who will leave us and as a consequence, there is going to be a shift of power throughout the world.

Here in our own USA, you may need to hold your breath. Whoever you think will be leading this country this time next year, wonÆt. Whoever you LEAST expect to do so, will! The natives are restless, and the underlying problem in peopleÆs ability to make a good living is at the root of it all. In addition, people are incensed about paying out so much of their income in taxes. TheyÆre fed up and theyÆre ready to have it stopped.

You will find more and more support for an overthrow of our current tax system. The IRS, despite itÆs entrenchment in our government and society, is on itÆs last leg. Many people feel they are taxed unfairly and that we are dealing with an uncaring monster. It doesnÆt help to know that 65% of what is collected is used to SUPPORT the IRS! While people donÆt object to paying a FAIR share, they donÆt want to continue paying into a bottomless pit. Expect a great deal of support for a percentage tax system. This is where everyone pays a certain percent - generally estimated at about 6 to 10 %. - of their gross income. There are no deductions, no tax shelters - just a percentage of the income and thatÆs it! Some consider this regressive, but others claim they can prove itÆs not. One way or the other, it looks very attractive to many people and you can expect more and more support for this system by the people.

There is also a lot of support for a national sales tax. This also has itÆs fans and detractors. Either way, the IRS is basically going to go a begging, because if they change the tax code this drastically, they will be dismantling a monster bureaucracy. However, there will be little sympathy for unemployed tax collectors now! This tax change movement will begin in 1996 and should be effected within a few years - certainly before Uranus leaves Aquarius.

The rebellion against taxation will extend to other countries, and in particular you will see it in Canada and the United Kingdom. There will be much uproar there as there will be here in the US. Australia is overdue for a tax rebellion. Once the pendulum starts swinging, it will extend globally.

Canada will be almost forced to change their system of socialized medicine. More and more of their citizens are crossing the border to the US to get good care. Not only that, their doctors are leaving at a record rate in order to make a good living.

They soon will have no choice but create a better system - one that provides better care and also provides better financial security for their medical personnel.

England is already in the process of making little changes - many of them unnoticed. But there is a great dislike of the monstrous medical system they have in place now and it too will be changing as Uranus knocks down yet more walls!

There will be a hue and cry for ôequalityö among men. You may think the British Royalty is in trouble now - just you wait! Before itÆs over, it may very well be done away with forever. The younger generation in particular have little use for pomp and circumstance, and this attitude will strengthen as we approach the year 2,000.

Queen Elizabeth is subject to some health problems this year and next, and her Philip could also have some health problems. She is going to make a most unexpected and unheard of announcement concerning the monarchy. She has been deeply hurt by the shenanigans of her children these past few years. But she is a queen to the bottom of her toes, and she will act in what she considers the honorable and proper way an monarch should. In the end, she will be beloved for many years for her decisions.

In short, most of the world will be going through a period of Revolution - and major changes are in store in every level of society, no matter where you live. The people of the world will rise up against anything they consider tyranny and control. People will demand freedom. Cuba will no doubt topple Castro. His boot has been on their necks for enough years now. This likely will happen in either this or the following year. Assuming that it happens in 1997, Russia may try to come to FidelÆs rescue. It will be to no avail, of course. The US along with the UK will probably race in to help the people, and Russia will have no choice but to back down since they will still have limited resources.

Unfortunately, for our Russian friends, this is to be a year of upheaval and change. Many thirst for freedom and the rewards of capitalism. But others thirst and hunger for food and sustenance. When the elections come in June, people will vote their bellies. Idealism puts no potatoes in the pot, and most likely the ôold guardö will come back into power. There will be a great deal of support from the military, especially the officers of old. While the old system was tyrannical and there were few opportunities to excel, at least there was food on the table. Granted, there was rationing and lines and waiting - but now there is no money to buy anything. There is no reason to stand in line and wait if youÆve no money to buy! ItÆs hard, if not impossible, to lead a hungry people onto an idealistic path. And while Westerners pride themselves on their freedoms, it isnÆt necessary for us to choose between freedom and food. In addition, Russians have not been exposed to much freedom, and so they donÆt have the thirst for it that we do.

There will, however, be those Russians who will become martyrs in their fight for independence. There will be many sad stories coming from Russia about these suffering idealists. The fire in the hearts of visionary men does not die easily.

In an effort to fire up their economy, Russia will rearm and make the military a major career option again. One of the first places they will look is Bosnia, and this could be the first spot that the US and Russia face each other in a Cold War stance. It will be important for us all to meditate and hold positive thoughts in our hearts against this potential. We surely have the united strength to work against this - we did it before when we brought down the Berlin Wall with our combined meditations, and it can happen again in Russia. But there will be a lot of determination on the part of the Russian leaders to survive THEIR Revolution this time. It may be hard to overcome this.

Boris Yeltsin and his people are in danger as far as elections are concerned. It will be hard for many of them to hold on. Yeltsin himself is in serious danger from further health problems. Without his robust leadership, the cause may be further weakened. Subordinates are not as charismatic or strong as he has been. This will further help the Communist cause.

Bosnia is going to get ôhotterö. The Peacekeeping troops that are there will suffer many injuries and wounds. Much of their problem will come from the difficult terrain and weather patterns there. There are also many dissenters who want no part of the ôPeaceö. Snipers and other surprise attacks are probable. In the end, it will not be a Peacekeeping mission, but it will wind up being a battle. There will be more casualties than anticipated, and it will make the Clinton Administration look very bad. Interestingly, he will bring home a large number of them in October of 1996, but in the same breath there will be others going. In short, it will be one of those sleight of hand tricks, but enough of the people will see whatÆs happening, and this will only hurt his reelection hopes more than if he had done nothing. WeÆre going to be in Bosnia for a very, very long time unless there is a major change in policy. But it may be too late. It may be very difficult indeed to get our boys out of there.

One of the biggest problems for Clinton in 1996 will be his wife, Hillary. She is sure to encounter a lot of legal problems this year in relation to Whitewater and the MadisonSavings & Loan problems and her position in the Rose Law Firm. There will be evidence of lawbreaking brought forward, and there will be threats of an indictment. Because he is the president, Clinton may be able to hold these indictments off, but it will take a lot of horse trading and in the end, he may not be able to hold them off after all. While Hillary will be the first target, there will come to light some very damaging evidence against Clinton himself. While he will probably deny culpability, it will not bode well for him in this election year. He will be busy putting out fires most of the year. There is a very real possibility that he will be called upon to resign. His only chance of reelection will be some very odd situation that may occur. But he is going to be facing a very angry electorate in November, and these people are upset because theyÆve seen their jobs go South. When people have their livelihood removed from them, they become very hard to deal with. Clinton will have his work cut out for him. But as animosity toward his wife grows, his job will be harder and harder to do. And while he is an indefatigable campaigner, he is going to find his normal constituency bored and uninterested. It will be difficult getting his people to the polls. In the end, if he wins this election, it will be a miracle. If the ôComeback Kidö can come back from the obstacles he faces this year, he will have earned his moniker for good!

In addition, there are aspects of ôseparationö between the Clintons. Were they not in the position they are, one could almost see a divorce. But in this case, it is more probable that they will not support each other as they should - even though they put on a united front. There will be name calling and blaming, and general unhappiness between them. This will make facing their troubles that much harder for them both.

Phil Gramm is going to make a wide 180 turn in the early part of the year. He is going to change the thrust of his campaign and heÆs going to go after a different constituency. It will do him little good, however. He wonÆt get the GOP Nomination. HeÆll lose some early primaries, and that will be an obstacle heÆll have a hard time overcoming. He may have a sense of rejection from his own party that could create some strong negativity on his part. HeÆs a very intelligent and well educated economist, and it would be a shame not to have his talent available in the new administration. But there is a good chance that he is going to have some strong feelings of bitterness that may even be obvious to others. He has the ability to hide his feelings and he would be wise to do so if he ever hopes to do anything politically again in the future. There is the possibility that he will even withdraw from the races in the early part of the year. His people may indeed see the writing on the wall - and the lack of funding for the campaign. He may win one state in the primaries, but even that is doubtful right now.

Pat Buchanan will also fail in the primaries. HeÆll do well in many of the Southern States. He wonÆt be a leading contender, but heÆll probably amass enough strength to do some bartering. There are many people who are afraid of his conservative stance, and these people will work hard against him which will make his mission harder. The thing is, Pat is a Scorpio, and he is not inclined to give up his goal. HeÆll hang in until the end. If he is not treated as he considers he should be by the Republican Convention, there is a good chance that he will split and go on an independent ticket. He needs to think long and hard about this one since he is a long time Republican. But there is the chance that he can feel very slighted, and so someone in the party will have to deal with him carefully.

Buchanan has a very strong constituency, even though itÆs small. But they are inclined to ôhang tightö. Therefore, theyÆll follow him wherever he goes and that could be a problem for the Republican Party. It could jeopardize their chances of election in November. However, his chart shows he may get an unexpected nomination in a high level Republican Administration, and if he will be patient, he can make the difference he wants so desperately to do. He would do well to guard his health throughout the year.

We have other candidates to look at and other issues as well. WeÆll continue from here next month. Let us know if there is some area in particular you want covered. If we can get the birth data, weÆll be glad to give you what we can.

Until next month, we want to wish each and every one of you the most prosperous of New Years - with joy and happiness throughout the year!