Bond, 006+

Standard and Poor dropped the U.S. government's credit rating from AAA to AA+ late on Friday, around the time that the Moon in Scorpio was squaring Venus (associated with values and valuables). Scorpio is associated with banks, investments, and financial institutions.

The economic impact in uncertain, although it can hardly be considered a shot in the arm for the economy. Interestingly, the S&P report said that the political system in the U.S. has become less stable, a reminder that our 50/50 political stalemate has consequences beyond getting our ears chewed off by cable news networks.

The fallout of the decision is likely to be intense at least through all of those Sunday-morning political talk shows. When the moon reaches Sagittarius later on Sunday and into Monday, we may see a more optimistic response (floating away from the issue) and/or more polarized ideological debates.

Neptune is back in Aquarius, and issues about the collective welfare (health care reform was a Neptune/Aquarius issue) will be prominent over the next six months. That won't undo the energy of the Uranus/Pluto/Saturn square-off in the skies, but it might help to stir up some compassion and a realization that we're all in this together.

Meanwhile, the Neptune/Aquarius energy blends with the rogue energy of Uranus in Aries, as a group named Anonymous has hacked into U.S. law enforcement websites and released scads of internal information about policing practices.

Wikileaks receded as a top news story when Neptune left Aquarius earlier this year - but
this story is sure to recapture our collective imagination.