Italy and Germany are flagging up as the most immediately troubled of the EU countries, which given that they are the third and first largest economies, is a considerable worry. Though most of the other EU members, like elsewhere globally, are also labouring over the coming years.
On Thursday, the capable Mario Draghi resigned as Italy’s prime minister although the president insisted he stay in place. The Italy 17 March 1861 chart is on cue for the tumultuous 1st August conjunction of Uranus, Mars and North Node rattling up its Mars in Taurus square Jupiter at the exact 18 degree mark. The Bank of Italy, 10 August 1893 also has its Leo Sun exactly in the line of fire.
Tr Saturn is also trekking across that sensitive point this October to mid November, ramming the message home, that life is achanging and not for the better immediately.
There are concerns about a coming EU recession with record energy prices and inflation, and a currency that has slumped to parity with the US dollar for the first time in 20 years (though remaining steady so far with the UK pound).
Not only is Germany facing domestic hardship with cuts in gas supplies because of Russia sanctions and retaliation. But its position as the EU’s exporting powerhouse will be at risk as Russia pulls the plug on cheap energy supplies; and its reliance on globalization is exposed. A total stoppage to Nord Stream 1 supplies would hit eurozone growth by 3.5 per cent until the first quarter of next year and could mark the bloc’s worst downturn since the 2008 financial crisis.
The Germany 1 January 1871 chart has an 8th house (financial) Pluto in Taurus being hammered this year and into next by tr Uranus conjunct Pluto bringing major disruption. And the challenges and pain will continue with a trapped tr Pluto trine the Germany Mars in 2023/2024; worsening – as it is in many of the EU charts – through the entry of Neptune into Aries alongside Saturn in 2025 when they oppose the Germany Mars and square the Saturn which will bring major headaches and a sense of failure.
The Bundesbank (central bank) 26 July 1957, is discouraged this year and worse into 2023 – devastated/confused in 2023/24 with tr Saturn opposition Mars, Mercury, Pluto, Venus and tr Pluto square the Neptune. By 2025 tr Pluto will oppose the BBank Sun for a challenging, potentially stuck time forcing a move away from the past.
The EU chart itself, 31 December 1957, is being undermined by a Solar Arc Neptune conjunct the Sun over this winter, so disappointed and unrealistic about finding practical solutions to the malaise. Again the truly difficult years will be 2025/26 with an economically blocked and potentially damaging Solar Arc Pluto opposition the 8th house financial Moon and square Uranus; and a discouraging Solar Arc Sun square Saturn in 2026.
The EURO 1 January 1999 chart is flagging at the moment with tr Neptune square the Moon into 2023 and will have an uphill struggle with tr Pluto square the Saturn in the final months of this year from August onwards. 2024/25 will be desolate with tr Pluto conjunct the Neptune. Late this decade will be monumentally difficult for the EU itself, the currency, Germany – and the UK as tr Neptune squares the respective Suns with other Solar Arcs piling on the challenges.
The other EU countries point to considerable problems building from now and culminating around the 2025 mark.
I’m not sure why Neptune moving into Aries in 2025 was thought to be a bringer of sunshine since it isn’t showing up as such.
Sorry to be so gloomy – re-reading the above wasn’t enlivening. But the astrology is what it is – and we have survived worse before.
Imagine the headline “America denies Europe access to cheap oil gas and coal”.Yet this is the reality
I think there is no silver lining for the EU and the €. Dreams are beautiful but reality stares us in the face : Italy’s interests (a weak currency) are at odds with Germany’s (having a big advantage with a fixed rate).
Italy has lost 15% of its industrial output since the introduction of the euro and has fallen into a debt trap, while Germany’s output has grown.
With the Brussels technocrats’ sanctions against Russia and the ensuing energy crisis, Germany is hit too (Russian imports accounted for 55% of its gas supply, 35% of its oil and 45% of its coal – that’s shooting yourself in the foot !).
If the ECB doesn’t raise its rates, the euro will collapse and inflation in Germany will become unmanageable (they should be raised by 8%!) but if the ECB raises the rates, Italy (and France) will have solvency problems.
Marjory wrote that what lies ahead for several years looks terminal to the EU’s existence…
Terminal is not how I would interpret it, but a good shake up certainly. There is too much invested. I know those defending Brexit would like to see the EU expire for the “I told you so” satisfaction of ‘being right’, but as the Ukranian crisis has shown, despite the economic and adminstrative woes there is more holding the EU together than just money. A redistribution of power is what we’re seeing, and for the good of future generations, IMO, with money losing its grip on all of us.
https://moneylesssociety.com/how-this-site-works/?mibextid=FPBZBe&fs=e&s=cl
Here is a vision of how it COULD work, but it will definitely be a struggle to get there as the vested interests and established order fight to keep hold of their privileges.
As someone who identifies as European rather than British, I am very committed to the European ideal as it was conceived by Schuman, Monet, Churchill and others and it doesn’t surprise me that it is these three large countries (Italy, Germany and the UK) that are going to be most affected by the coning transits. Not least because these are large societies with many internal divisions that are becoming increasingly apparent. On top of which these countries are entrenched politically and institutionally and currently lack a future vision for themselves as they desperately try to cling on to old models of government and economic independence that are failing. All three struggle to reform their outdated institutions and seem powerless to tackle ‘vested interests’ which stand in the way of those necessary reforms and increasingly start to look like naked corruption in some cases. The more that change is resisted, the more difficult it will be for these countries and their people. People who thought that the size of the country and its ‘power’ internationally was enough to safeguard their interests and a guarantee that things would ‘stay the same’: an illusion of safety. We are all getting a reality check, a wake up call: we need to be more resilient and self sufficient, whether it be in energy or food supply. Everything seeks change and either you enable that or you resist and the latter is definitely more painful. I actually think the EU will come through this crisis stronger and with a more equal distribution of power. China won’t be having it all it’s own way.
France too, come to think of it. Plus historically, in the 19th century, both Germany and Italy were made up of self-governing regions. Central rule is what is no longer working and perhaps what we are seeing is a shift back towards less central and more local administration with greater cooperation through supra-national networks such as the EU and other industry-related bodies. I wonder if Macron’s idea of a ‘European Political Union’ will gain any traction in the attempt to get the log jammed EU moving forward again? Just thinking aloud here…
It doesn’t look good for your father does it and I’m very very sorry about this even though I suppose knowing it was terminal Was an indication that he wouldn’t live and awful long time but you probably thought you did have longer, do take care and I hope your father has a peaceful end to his life, for the last months
Thanks so much @Judith Earnshaw for your kind words. It was a sudden revelation because he was not sick, but losing weight so went for tests.
Marjorie, will the EU downturn impact Australia?
Italy has been a warning signal from 2012, if not earlier.
I’m getting nervous about 1 August somewhat with words like ‘tumultuous ‘ to describe it. That triple powerhouse will conjunct my Jupiter in 10H exactly and be 6 degs from my Midheaven. But square my father’s father’s NN, 16 Leo, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer just 2 weeks ago. I keep wondering if it will be then.
Sorry Sounh, just a general comment i put in the wrong place. Not meant to be a reply to you.