Finally, we arrive at the year that so many of us have been talking about. The almost mythic 2012 is here, and it's time to consider what that might mean for the future of our species and our planet.

Unless you have spent the past 40 years in a cave, you are likely to have heard some potential doomsday scenario about this year and what might occur. Everything from alien invasions to meteor strikes, melting ice caps to inter-dimensional shifts have been put across the table as likely hazards for the year ahead. The Mayans apparently foresaw this year as the ‘end of the world’, or at least one in which a major life cycle comes to an end.

At the more optimistic end of the scale, spiritualist and New-Age philosophers have pinpointed 2012 as the year in which we can ascend in consciousness to reach another plane. Some have visioned this as a literal ascension of energies, while others have argued that changes in cosmic forcefields will mean that certain human populations will be removed so that other more robust/spiritually evolved members of the species can thrive.

While anything is of course possible, we suggest that current cosmic forces simply point to an immense change. The form this change will take is probably beyond anyone’s comprehension, but the astrological indicators tell us that 2012 is a year that will likely be seminal in the development of our race.

What kind of change could we mean and what might it look like? Will it be good, or will it be bad? Should I get ready for it, and is there anything to fear? These are the common questions people have right now, and at a practical level these are questions well worth being asked. While we have no idea what the future will look like, we can get a sense of what the changes might mean.

A useful image to put forward then would be to think about what you would do and how you would respond if the entire world did change? What would your response be? Who would you think about? And do you know in your heart of hearts that you have done/given/become all that you could be? These are the kinds of questions that are upon us, as we evolve to a point in consciousness where we become more aware of who we are.

Here’s a scenario to consider. Imagine that suddenly one day you woke to discover that another intelligent life form had made contact with Earth, and was here visible to us on the physical plane. What if suddenly, after years of speculation and unconfirmed sightings, you awoke to a news report which confirmed alien civilizations were real. Imagine how that would change you and the effect that would have on the world.

Suddenly we would have to cope with the knowledge that we are in fact not alone. We would have to question our most basic paradigms, and our belief about God, humanity and life itself. And what if this visiting civilization were to share with us information and technologies that proved such things as the imminent divinity of life, the interconnectedness of all things, and the real impact of what our chemical-laden lifestyles are doing to the planet and our DNA structures. What if they simply and clearly showed us that we were heading steadfastly toward our own doom?

Firstly, we would have to face our ignorance and our unwillingness to change. Then we would have to come to terms with the unavoidable truth that all forms of manifestation exist  within an interconnected field. Destroying timber in Sumatra affects the emotional state of young children in Japan. Then we would have to face the inevitable restructuring of almost every industry on Earth. This would be immense, challenging and beyond anything we can currently imagine. But the long-term effects would be sensational in terms of how we experience life here on Earth.

This is the kind of change that 2012 represents. A change that happens only rarely in the history of our planet, but one that completely transforms our world-view. We should all prepare to step up to a new level of consciousness about who we are and how we affect the world.

In 2012, it is time to raise your vibration to a higher state of mind. Would you be qualified to take your place as a citizen of the Intergalactic Universe?

From an astrological perspective, there are several major developments that underscore the immensity of this change. We will deal with each of these influences in greater detail as the year unfolds. But for now, lets just consider some of the major energies and what that might mean from both a personal and collective point-of-view.

We will also include a financial overview, looking at the symbolic influences of the year ahead.

The Uranus Pluto Square

2012 sees the peak of a wave of energy that has been steadily building through the past 4 years. Since 2008, when Pluto entered Capricorn, we have been moving toward a kind of collision point, a convergence of time, place and history when conditions would be right to make a quantum change. These conditions arrive in the next 12-24 months.

Since 2008 we have seen the process of transformation (symbolized by the passage of Pluto) unravel corporate, banking and governmental systems. The unravelling is not yet complete, and we can expect more major changes to occur as Pluto is squared by Uranus. In 2010, Uranus entered Aries to begin another kind of shift. Uranus governs freedom, liberation and the kind of radical restructuring of which revolutions are made. Sweeping social movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy movements are changing the world by harnessing technology (another Uranian device) and people-power to bring down systems that are ready for change. From June, this process reaches a critical peak. Immense social forces are likely to gather around mid-year with the potential revelation of some news or institutionally-kept secret that will change the way we live.

The potential for an epoch-changing event is written in the chart for the New Year. At 12.00am, 1/1/2012, the Moon sets on the Western horizon in Greenwich England. The Moon is in a tense angle to the Sun, and ‘carries the light from Uranus to Pluto- or perfects the square (so reinforces the significance) that these two planetary forces will have throughout the year. The chart cast for the New Year describes the kind of energetic imprint that we as a collective will experience in the coming 12 months. The challenging aspects found within the New Year chart reinforce the notion that this year will be one of pivotal change. Months to watch out for include the first few weeks of January, February, April and June-July. These periods carry especially strong potential to reveal seeds of change.

At a personal level, these energies suggest personal empowerment through knowledge and responsibility. What can you do to make yourself more aware about the impact your choices are having on your own body and the bodies of those around you? Your best bet is to find out all you can about the food you are eating, the health care choices you are making and the quality of mental/emotional energy you are putting out. As we draw closer to really becoming galactic citizens, we learn more and more about how out thought-energy structures our own realities.

Planets in Water Signs

2012 sees the peak of a wave of energy that has been steadily building through the past 4 years. Since 2008, when Pluto entered Capricorn, we have been moving toward a kind of collision point, a convergence of time, place and history when conditions would be right to make a quantum change. These conditions arrive in the next 12-24 months.

Since 2008 we have seen the process of transformation (symbolized by the passage of Pluto) unravel corporate, banking and governmental systems. The unravelling is not yet complete, and we can expect more major changes to occur as Pluto is squared by Uranus. In 2010, Uranus entered Aries to begin another kind of shift. Uranus governs freedom, liberation and the kind of radical restructuring of which revolutions are made. Sweeping social movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy movements are changing the world by harnessing technology (another Uranian device) and people-power to bring down systems that are ready for change. From June, this process reaches a critical peak. Immense social forces are likely to gather around mid-year with the potential revelation of some news or institutionally-kept secret that will change the way we live.

The potential for an epoch-changing event is written in the chart for the New Year. At 12.00am, 1/1/2012, the Moon sets on the Western horizon in Greenwich England. The Moon is in a tense angle to the Sun, and ‘carries the light from Uranus to Pluto- or perfects the square (so reinforces the significance) that these two planetary forces will have throughout the year. The chart cast for the New Year describes the kind of energetic imprint that we as a collective will experience in the coming 12 months. The challenging aspects found within the New Year chart reinforce the notion that this year will be one of pivotal change. Months to watch out for include the first few weeks of January, February, April and June-July. These periods carry especially strong potential to reveal seeds of change.

At a personal level, these energies suggest personal empowerment through knowledge and responsibility. What can you do to make yourself more aware about the impact your choices are having on your own body and the bodies of those around you? Your best bet is to find out all you can about the food you are eating, the health care choices you are making and the quality of mental/emotional energy you are putting out. As we draw closer to really becoming galactic citizens, we learn more and more about how out thought-energy structures our own realities.

The other major influence for 2012 involves the gathering of planets in Water signs. Again, since 2010 we have been building toward a new level of consciousness that will be peaking this year. In focus and needing critical attention are water supplies, hydro-technologies, water pollution and the state of our seas. From 2012, we will no longer be able to ignore the consequences of sea-floor dredging, drag-net fishing or pumping untested chemicals into underground water tables for the extraction of gas.

Kicking off the confluence in Water signs is Chiron in Pisces. Chiron entered this sign on April 20th 2010, the same day that the BP Gulf explosion happened in the Gulf of Mexico, unleashing an environmental catastrophe of undisclosed proportions. While the leaking pipe may have been plugged, the longterm damage from the chemical buffer put in place to fix the problem is unknown. It is entirely feasible that children born in the US generations from now will face genetic mutations caused by the pollutants unleashed from that day.

Then in February 2012, Neptune enters Pisces to officially begin a 13-year period of spiritual evolution. This is amplified by the entrance of Saturn into Scorpio, later this year. We will explore these themes in a further article later in the year. For now let us look at how the influx of Water energies might operate at a personal level.

To get a sense of where we are at now, we need to look back to the late 60’s. It was at this point that both the current Uranus/Pluto cycle started, and Chiron was in the sign of Pisces again. Everything about the astrology of the moment points to a collective shift in consciousness similar to the years 1966-1969. But at this turn of the wheel - fifty odd years down the track - we should be better informed and wiser in the choices that we make.

A good way to think of how Neptune and Chiron operate in Water signs is to think in terms of systems. Interestingly enough, back in the late 60’s Neptune was also in Water, but this time in Scorpio. What was emerging from the darkness then reaches the full light of transcendent consciousness now in the sign of Endings, otherwise known as Pisces.

And so, becoming much more aware of whole systems is imperative now. Neptune and Chiron will amplify our collective psycho-emotional bodies. We can expect to be more sensitive, psychic and intuitively attuned. Just like the late 60’s, mystical, transcendental and hallucinogenic experiences are likely to become more culturally accepted. We are likely to see a surge in interest in anything that allows the individual to transcend or escape the everyday.

Importantly, the sign of Pisces has much to do with healing. This is healing at an emotional and spiritual level - healing that is profound, inexplicable and alters a persons life. Esoteric practices such as yoga, meditation and spiritual retreat that first came to popular consciousness back in the 60’s are highlighted again. We have reached a point in our development where we can expect to see a surge forward in terms of understanding mind/body synthesis and how this influences health.  Whole systems of health and wellbeing will become far more pronounced, and are likely to become common-place or everyday.

Modalities such as Ayurveda, Yoga therapy, Naturopathy and Energetic Healing gain more acceptance as the collective seeks to understand itself at an expanded, spiritualized level. Breaking the body up into mechanical parts that have no meaningful connection to eachother (allopathic medicine) will be boosted by therapies that think in terms of whole-system health. In order to understand and properly balance a heart condition then, we must also understand the emotional, psychological and spiritual causes of ill health.

June-July Eclipses

Mid year sees a major confluence of astrological influences that are also likely to signify a turning point. A series of eclipses in Gemini amplifies this, with two New Moons in the signs of the Twins bringing a focus to this sign now. Coupled with this is an extremely rare transit of Venus as it passes the face of the Sun. This is a celestial event of major significance occurring also in the sign of the Twins. The Mayans followed the Venus cycle closely, and this is likely to be one of the reasons why their calendar seems to end this year. Finally, the Uranus Pluto square becomes exact at this point, marking mid-2012 as a likely period of significant global events.

We will deal with this period in a separate article due out later this year. For now, we can be aware that the feeling we all seem to currently have - the feeling that we are rushing headlong towards something or somewhere - seems to peak around this time of the year.

Your best preparation is to raise your vibration in readiness for whatever comes. Taking care of yourself in practical ways will support your own personal evolution as we move past this major transitional point.

    •    Drink plenty of fresh water
    •    Consider the food you are putting in your body and the consciousness around it
    •    Think about your spiritual wellbeing, and how balanced you feel inside
    •    Reflect on your relationships. Due they reflect the truth of who you really are?
    •    Lastly, do unto others as you would have done to yourself.

At the end of the day, everyone and everything is intimately connected. We are One. In 2012, we finally start to experience the truth of this in our daily lives.

Financial Forecast 2011-12

The theme of reform and restructure continues to dominate market forces. With all major economies forced to adapt to unprecedented global conditions, the irrelevant are removed, the obsolete made to vanish.
As usual, there will be good news for some and bad news for others. Yet over the next 12 months, fortune favours the modest, not the brave.

For many years, astrologers have been forecasting that the period between 2008-2015 would lead to a total transformation of world economies and banking systems. The evidence proves that we were right. While memory of the GFC starts to fade into ‘a thing of the past’ major global influences still haven’t peaked yet. Most important from a long-term financial perspective is the exact square of Uranus to Pluto forming throughout the year, and the waning quincunx in the Jupiter/Saturn cycle. 2012 is volatile, unpredictable and likely to change the way we think about profit and commerce.   Even though things appear a little less volatile at the moment, we are a long way from being out of the woods. March 14th 2011 was pivotal for our financial futures. Smart money moves away from anything that puts profit before people. A crescendo is likely around April-June 2012. Put your boats in safe harbour.  

On the upside, Australia continues to enjoy a fortunate position. While other economies teeter and possibly fall, here we continue to stand strong owing to our export potentials and relevant planetary conditions. Investment choices that align with the times include everything to do with improving agriculture, food production and delivery, better health systems and the protection of water. Rather than seeking huge profits through speculative ventures, on-the-money investors should look for stable propositions that improve the quality of food, health and wellbeing.

Water is a major issue and becomes critical this year. Technologies that work toward improving the quality and availability of water should show excellent long-term growth. Aquacultures may thrive as ocean depletion becomes an unavoidable concern. Underground fracking, and mining technologies that pollute water tables are especially suspect. Avoid any involvement with such practices or “investment opportunities”.

The old paradigm is ending and a new one is beginning. There is another major correction on the cards, and it will challenge what we define as profit. Look after the planet as you would look after yourself. That is your best investment.