(12 March 2019) The UK edged one step closer to the precipice today as Parliament voted down a second Brexit proposal by Prime Minister Theresa May.  It was a crushing defeat for Ms. May after apparently negotiating better terms with her EU counterpart in Brussels.  The UK Parliament is due to vote on a no-deal Brexit tomorrow (Wednesday) which is widely expected to be defeated.  It will then vote for an extension of Article 50 on Thursday to ask Brussels for a delay past the March 29th deadline to leave the EU.  If the Thursday vote passes, then anything is possible, including a fresh elections, a second referendum and maybe no Brexit at all. 

It’s a chaotic situation with no easy solutions.  To be honest, I have no idea what’s going happen.  When there is more than two possible outcomes to a situation, it is more difficult to make an astrological prediction. Typically, good transits point to a constructive resolution while bad transits coincide with tension, conflict and an ongoing state of frustration. But here we have at least four possible outcomes, each with its own pros and cons: no-deal Brexit, the postponement of Brexit (but only if the EU consents), fresh elections, or a second referendum.

From the UK’s 1801 horoscope, we can clearly see the source of the current political stalemate in the UK.  Rahu (North Lunar Node) is conjunct the 10th house Moon, symbolizing the affairs of government as it pertains to the people.  Rahu is often a disruptive influence, and it does not combine well with the Moon.  This can produce uncertainty and emotional upset as well as an absence of order.  We can also see that Saturn and Pluto are opposing the Moon so that only makes the governing more difficult.  Saturn-Moon oppositions represent times of heaviness from worldly burdens that inflict lingering damage.  Pluto-Moon oppositions symbolize the coercive use of power without consent or respect.   These are all slow-moving aspects that will likely reflect more political difficulty in the months to come.  So that’s point number one.

For today’s failed vote, Mars is conjunct Mars (assertiveness, conflict) and Mercury is in a close 150 degree alignment with Saturn (unproductive work).   From across the ocean, it does seem as if the UK somehow has lost its ability to govern itself.  This Brexit drama has been going on for more than two years and seems to be far from resolution.

Wednesday’s no-deal option seems unlikely to pass.  The transiting Moon-Jupiter alignment will aspect the natal Mercury (26 Scorpio) and this should allow for a measure of constructive compromise and positive outcomes.  Only a minority of the country (and Parliament) want a hard, no-deal Brexit so I wouldn’t think this would be a likely outcome. 

However, there is an astrological argument for the "least worst" option of postponement of Brexit.  The delay vote is due on Thursday and will take place near the time when Venus is in a loose conjunction with natal Venus in sidereal Capricorn.  It’s not really that close unfortunately, so I’m not highly confident that the delay option will carry the day.  But it does seem more likely than the hard Brexit option.  Late March and early April looks a bit better so we may see the EU agree to the delay of Article 50.  This would allow the UK to figure out its next move — new negotiations, a new election or a new referendum. 

Whatever happens this week, I think the UK is still likely to have serious troubles over Brexit in the coming months.  I can see that the Saturn is due to station exactly on top of the natal Sun (19 Sagittarius) in August and September.  Since the Sun symbolizes government, this could well indicate an election and a likely change in government.  If there is an election during this period, Theresa May’s Conservatives are likely to lose.  What a Labour government might mean for Brexit is anyone’s guess.

Weekly Market Forecast

After last week’s sharp sell-off, stocks have rebounded this week on expectation that the US-China trade deal may finally be near.   The Dow closed Tuesday at 25,554 while the S&P finished just under key resistance at 2791.  Indian stocks also moved higher as the Sensex closed Tuesday at 37,535.  This week’s reversal was very much in keeping with expectations in last week’s market forecast as I thought last week would likely see some significant declines given the retrograde Mercury alignment with Mars and Uranus. 

I also suggested that we would see a move higher this week on the alignment of the Sun with bullish Jupiter and Pluto.  That bullish energy has now manifested as Jupiter (28 Scorpio) aligned exactly with Pluto (28 Sagittarius) on Monday.  The Sun is within range now and will form an exact alignment on Wednesday. 

The rest of this week is harder to call.  I think the positive influence of the Jupiter-Pluto pairing is likely to see some residual effects, especially as Mercury retrograde backs into the alignment towards the end of the week.  This is a less reliable bullish factor but should nonetheless be seen as having a bullish bias.  We should sound a note of caution, however, due to the 120-degree Mars-Saturn alignment that is exact tomorrow (Wednesday). 

It is difficult to weigh the relative influence of these competing factors but I would say that the downside risk is elevated for Wednesday or perhaps into Thursday.  Futures are down a bit at the time of writing (11 pm EST), so we could see stocks under pressure on Wednesday.  But since the late week looks more positive, even a down day on Wednesday may not be enough to change the generally positive direction of the week as a whole. 

Next week may have a greater downside risk as Mercury and Venus align with Saturn early in the week, and then Mars aspects Jupiter in the second half of the week. 

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