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2010 - A NEW DECADE, A NEW DAWN?
By
PENNY THORNTON
I remember waiting for midnight to strike on 31st December 1999 and
instead of whooping for joy at the prospect of a new millennium,
worrying if I'd be able to get cash from the ATM machine and whether
my laptop would cease to function. Then there were all those
Nostradamus' warnings about the end of the world. Of course, we passed
seamlessly from one millennium to the next and as far as I can tell
the world is still spinning on its axis. And yet...
The first decade of Century Twenty-one ends spectacularly on a lunar
eclipse� not a full-on total eclipse but partial - and all eclipses
bode events of global significance. Endings and beginnings, closure
and completion are full moon themes and it seems entirely fitting that
on 31st December 2009 we will be closing the book on an extremely
turbulent decade, and opening a fresh chapter. Hopefully, a better
one.
Change there will be, however, things are not going to change for the
better overnight. In September 2008 events in the world of finance set
in motion the huge correction we are currently working through, and it
will be at least 2013 before we start to see the kind of growth that
breeds real optimism and confidence in the future. What we can
celebrate on New Year's Day 2010 is that we are at the bottom and the
only way on from here is up!
The main astrological signature on the next decade will be Pluto's.
This slow moving planet - all right, I know it's officially a
celestial dwarf but its transformational nature hasn't changed one
iota - gives a whole generation is shape and texture. We have already
seen financial institutions come toppling down, bubbles bursting and
the State assuming greater control, and it is a trend that will
continue in increasingly extreme forms until Pluto exits Capricorn in
2024. A world government could be formed during this time - a
necessity born out of the Earth's dwindling resources, famines and
wars - and with an impressive trio of planets in Capricorn as the
decade ends 2020 looks to be the year in question. And, yes, there'll
be good things too: breakthroughs in gene research will produce cures
for cancer and motor neurone disease, we'll be able to put the
mortally wounded or ill in a state of suspension, an awkward peace may
well be established in the Middle East, and we should be able to get
from London to Sydney in four hours in a rocket-powered plane.
2012 is another year to ring around in red in your ten-year-diary.
According to the ancient Mayans, who knew a thing or two about
astrology and time measurement, on 21 December 2012 at precisely 11.
11 am, the world will come to an end. Actually, this is not quite what
the Mayans meant: their conception of time was circular with every
ending marking the beginning of something new. (Now, where have you
heard that before?) However, this date is of huge astrological
importance: at the exact moment of the Winter Solstice on 21-12-12 the
sun will sit on the heavenly crossroads between the Milky Way and the
galactic equator forming an exquisite alignment with the centre of the
galaxy. Wow, indeed.
And my prediction is that we will all still be here on 22 December
2012. Interest rates will be on the rise, David Cameron will be
defending the actions of the Treasury Secretary, Madonna will be
separating from her third husband, Jesus
As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And
in a funny kind of way, I think that's rather comforting. Welcome to
the the next decade!