Dear Fellow Stargazers,

Happy Full Moon and to my friends in the USA, Happy Thanksgiving!

I have made it a policy in these letters to write constructively and in a positive manner. Though I have discussed with clients the potential for more complex planetary configurations to signify major difficulties, I have chosen not to write about those patterns that have often appeared at times of war. It is however, impossible to ignore the alignments of the coming weeks.

Some of you will remember that since 2010, the two planets Uranus and Pluto have been at apparent right angles with one another. In the coming days, Mars connects with this pair and echoes an eclipse from earlier this year, whilst the Sun and Saturn conjoin in the sign of Sagittarius for the first time in three decades. It now seems inevitable that many countries will be caught up in major conflict. The period Sunday December 6^th to Monday 14^th looks to be particularly treacherous. That period will surely test the mettle of our political leaders.

There are undoubtedly planetary war cycles. If matters escalate as I believe they will, battles could be prolonged and continue for some years into the next decade. Whilst I wish to think quite differently, it may be a half nodal cycle (better part of a decade) before this particular conflict is brought to an end.

Worryingly, the next Full Moon on December 25, and coinciding with Christmas Day, finds the Moon at Maximum Declination. A day later, Uranus arrives at its station: the combination indicating extreme reaction. Of course, this could take the form of natural disaster as opposed to man-made conflict. Even so we will all surely be affected. Aid agencies may be challenged as never before.

In a recent television interview, Prince Charles explored the connection between climate change, present-day conflict and the refugee crisis. I am sorry that he did not make mention the Sun’s role in all this. Its output might be described as abnormal presently. It seems to me that the refugee crisis is as much down to solar conditions that have brought drought and crop failure as to political unrest. Climate change plays its part of course. Yet we cannot control the Sun and must adjust to the changing conditions it forces on us.

I am now preparing my December solstice webinar and have concluded that the coming years will bring considerable stress and tension. I imagine that equities will suffer - particularly in 2017.

In the very short term, I am looking for decline in share values on November 29th and 30th, then recovery followed by further decline from Monday December 14th - though again there ought to be recovery for the end of the year.

In response to a request to make the webinar available as a gift, I will prerecord. The webinar then will be available from December 18^th at a holiday special price of £36 . This seminar will explore 2016 through 2017. www.financialuniverse.co.uk to purchase.

One of the watchwords for any conflict is surely ‘belligerence’. Venus and Mars are in mutual reception from December 6^th : from which date the potential for increasingly entrenched positions seems more likely than not. This same time frame could find terrorists at work. The planetary alignments of December 6^th, 7^th, 11^th,13^th and 14^th are such that those with despicable motive could feel compelled to act. The security services will surely be over-stretched through this time frame.

Away from conflict and what would surely have been headline news were it not for the dreadful events of recent days, is Pfizer’s merger with Allergen. This $155bn deal has enormous implications as regards tax. At a different but still interesting level, here in the UK, a group of small businesses in one town have proposed a merger of their own: one that would give me them big enough voice to discuss tax liabilities with revenue collectors in much the same way that large corporations do.

In keeping with Pluto’s present position, tax is moving up the agenda. If governments are unable to collect tax, then how they will fund conflict becomes another issue - but makes the task of interpreting the alignments of 2020 easier to accomplish.

What seems certain is that tangibles: gold, silver etc will have increased value from 2017 through 2019. (more about this in my new book now going through edit). I will touch on some of this in the December solstice webinar and in talks in Florida and London in February (diary on the website).

Despite a nasty attack of gastro-enteritis during my writing retreat, I’m on top of commitments. I write for Llewellyn’s Moon series and the piece on 2017 went in on time! Next task is ‘Investing for and in 2020’.

For now, it remains for me to wish you all safe and to offer a reminder that the best investments still must surely be in friends and family.

It is a pleasure for me to have you on this list.

For now,

Yours from the stars

Christeen