We are now entering yet another prolonged and important time band of successive geocosmic signatures, September 9-28. The first part of this time band contains potentially dangerous combinations, with Mars square Pluto September 9-10, The Sun square Pluto on September 12, and finally the Sun conjunct Mars on September 15. In fact, on Tuesday, September 14, there is a new moon (Sun-Moon conjunction) conjunct Mars, and all in square to Pluto. As many readers no doubt know, Mars and Pluto aspects pertain to combat (war) and the potential for threats to human lives through either acts of nature or humankind (i.e. terrorism). The second part of this cluster (September 22-28) can be referred to as the “Great Libra Ingress.” It is a time when the Sun, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter all enter the sign of Libra. This is a very rare phenomenon. The Sun and Mercury, of course, enter the tropical sign of Li9bra once a year and remain there for about a month. But the cycle of Mars is about 26 months, with a duration of about 6-7 weeks, and Jupiter’s cycle is approximately every 12 years, and its duration in a sign lasts about one year. So to see all four of these planets enter a sign within one week of each other is truly unusual.

It is interesting how the first group of signatures is playing out in American politics in the last week. Mars has dominion over the military and combat duty. Pluto can correspond to efforts of constructive research, or of digging up the past, and using the information to harm the reputation of one’s enemies. And what exactly have we witnessed in the Presidential race between incumbent George W. Bush and his opponent John Kerry last week? Allegations that both candidates lied about their military service performed over 30 years ago in reference to their activities in - and during the time of – the Viet Nam war. Kerry, in a manner that is somewhat typical of the negative expression of the Sagittarian character (he is a Sagittarius) is accused of exaggerating his acts of heroism during the war for opportunistic purposes later on (like now). And George W. Bush, in a manner that may be considered typical of one with a natal Moon-Neptune conjunction in Libra, is accused of avoiding his military service obligation to his country during his stint as a fighter pilot in the National Guard. In fact, he is accused of getting this “soft position” through favoritism that was not available to other Americans. It is alleged that his family’s contacts with the U.S. government intervened to get him “out of the war.” Both men deny these accusations and allegations.

So we have a case where the two leading candidates for the U.S. Presidency are basically accused of being liars in regards to their past actions concerning their duty of “military service” to the country. And both candidates want the electorate to believe that they are the most fit to be the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military. Now, as astrologers, let me ask you: how appropriate is THAT, given that transiting Pluto (dredging up the past) is in opposition to the U.S.A. Mars (military service) and square Neptune (a dynamic that can relate to acts of deception, avoidance, and rumor-mongering? And oh yes, in this past week, Mars was conjunct the U.S.A. Neptune, and square its natal Mars. Who says astrology doesn’t work? The news items of last week were about as picture perfect as you can get for the signatures that were in effect, and to the aspects they made to the U.S. natal horoscope! Who should we believe on this matter? Probably neither, and the truth will never come out – and if it is, it will likely continue to be denied. What is also interesting, however, is that the last time transiting Pluto was in a hard aspect to the U.S. Mars and Neptune was in – guess what? – the Viet Nam War. Is it any wonder that this unresolved time in America’s psyche is coming back to haunt it now, as Americans ponder perhaps the most important presidential election in a lifetime? The issue is not going to away, even though most Americans (and most people of the world) are more concerned about what each candidate is going to do in the future to bring about world peace and prosperity.

Which brings us to the second set of signatures in effect September 15-28, and especially September 22-28, the “Great Libra Ingress.” Jupiter is a planet whose dynamic is associated with prosperity and economic growth. Both the Sun and Mars will form a conjunction to Jupiter during this period. And Libra is a sign of agreements, and the urge for peace and diplomacy. At its best, one could make an astrological case for a series of important agreements to be made by leaders of the world, with the purpose of fostering world peace. Other world trader agreements could be forged that could boost the world equity markets even higher. In all, it could be a time of great hopefulness and optimism. But there is also the possibility that the negative expression of Jupiter, especially with Mars, could be manifested. A negative characteristic of Jupiter is exaggeration, leading to hysteria and panic. If that is the course of this forthcoming signature, then instead of a buoyant and rising stock market, we could instead see a sharply declining market.

As discussed in this column over the past several weeks and even months, I anticipate the period following August 6-18 to be more hopeful for the world, and more bullish for world equities. And so far, that has been the case. In fact, I have pointed out that the Sun-Mars conjunction of September 15 has a very high correlation to m10% or greater reversals in the U.S. stock markets, within an orb of 27 trading days. The low of August 13 represented the end of a 10+% decline from the high of the year in February. And most world markets – especially in the U.S.A. – are on track for a 10+% rally off those lows.

In the U.S.A., the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a high of 10,363 last Tuesday, which is approximately 6% above the 9783 low of August 13. The DJIA closed the week at 10,313, and if the “Great Libra Ingress” is goi8ng to be as bullish as I think it could, then the 19% mark could be achieved shortly. The NASDAQ Composite is even further along than the DJIA. From a low of 1750 on August 13, the Composite reached as high as 1895 on Friday, representing a gain of 8.3% so far. The Argentina Merval has advanced even more, in a shorter period of time. Having posted a low of 924 on August 25, the Merval attained 1006 on September 7, a gain of 8.9% in only two weeks. However, traders must note that the Merval Index is now entering the price and time target zone for a 44-week cycle crest, as discussed in our recent edition of the SOS Stock Market Report, a subscription based market letter we offer that covers all these (and other) world markets, issued 8 times per year.

In Europe, the German DAX reached a high of 3905 on Tuesday, September 7, a gain of nearly 8% from the 3618.58 low of August 16. The FTSE’s high last week was 4574, a gain of almost 7% from the 4283 low of August 16. In the Netherlands, the AEX index posted a weekly high of 332.69 on Wednesday, September 8, which is an 8.25% appreciation over the 307.31 low of August 16. And the Swiss Stock Market index topped out at 5581.20 last Tuesday, representing a 6% gain over the 5264.50 low of August 16. All of these markets are exhibiting overbought conditions on their daily charts. However, after brief corrections, there is no reason (as of this time) why they can’t continue higher through the “Great Libra Ingress.”

The gains in the equity markets of the Pacific Rim countries are somewhat as impressive, but the future may not look quite as promising in the near-term. In Japan, the Nikkei got as high as 11,358 on Wednesday, a gain of 7.7% from the 10,546 low of August 16. However, the close was 11,083, and the momentum indicators already appear to have topped out. The Hang Seng of Hong Kong reached as high as 13,190 last Wednesday, which is 8.5% higher than the 12,150 low of August 16. But its momentum indicators too appear to have made a top. The Australian All Ordinaries continues to defy gravity, as the index made yet another new all-time high last week, when prices hit 3613.80 on Friday. This is only a 3.8% gain over the 3479 low of August 16.

None of the geocosmic signatures coming up September 9-28 are Level 1 types. Therefore, although they may represent big price movements, they do not imply the end to any primary or grater cycles in stock markets, according to the rules set up in The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing Volume 3: Geocosmic Correlations to Trading Cycles. They will likely correspond to end of corrections, but not the end to any longer-term cycles. Therefore it is my opinion that the markets will continue their move of 10% or greater gains off the longer-term cycle lows that formed August 13-16, which was the last critical reversal zone that contained a slew of Level 1 geocosmic signatures. The signatures coming up will, however, likely be important for decisions involving world policies and agreements, and therefore it is a time that we can look forward to with optimism. It is also a time when we can apply these same principles to our own personal lives, and expand ourselves successfully in relations with other people that we care about, or with whom we wish to work in harmony with.

Please note that I am lecturing in Buenos Aires, Argentina this week, and the report of next week may be one day later than usual. If you are reading this and you live in Buenos Aires, and wish to attend my lectures, please contact 4775-2136, or 15-5636-6018.

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Disclaimer and statement of purpose: The purpose of this column is not to predict the future movement of various financial markets. However, that is the purpose of the MMA (Merriman Market Analyst) subscription services. This column is not a subscription service. It is a free service, except in those cases where a fee may be assessed to cover the cost of translating this column from English into a non-English language. This weekly report is written with the intent to educate the reader on the relationship between astrological factors and collective human activities as they are happening. In this regard, this report will oftentimes report what happened in various stock and financial markets throughout the world in the past week, and discuss that movement in light of the geocosmic signatures that were in effect. It will then identify the geocosmic factors that will be in effect in the next week, or even month, or even years, and the author’s understanding of how these signatures will likely affect human activity in the times to come. The author (Merriman) will do this from a perspective of a cycle’s analyst looking at the military, political, economic, and even financial markets of the world. It is possible that some forecasts will be made based on these factors. However, the primary goal is to both educate and alert the reader as to the psychological climate we are in, from an astrological perspective. The hope is that it will help the reader understand these psychological dynamics that underlie (or coincide with) the news events and hence financial markets of the day.

No guarantee as to the accuracy of this report is being made here. Any decisions in financial markets are solely the responsibility of the reader, and neither the author nor the publishers assume any responsibility at all for those individual decisions. Reader should understand that futures and options trading are considered high risk.