Dear Fellow Star Gazers,

Happy Full Moon!

The tension suggested by the August alignment of Mars with Saturn was certainly in evidence and indeed, this has been a very difficult period both for those caught up in war-zones and those trying to 'lead' the way to peace. Heightened solar activity has also been a major factor in recent weeks with refugees showing increased determination to find safety away from areas that, given developing war cycles, may be in conflict for many years yet. 

It is good to report that I got something wrong in the last letter: you may remember that I feared a gas attack of some kind for the last weekend of August - brilliantly wrong thank goodness.

I was also concerned that about the developing scale of the Ebola virus - which is now at extremely worrying levels though a treatment does seem to have arrived on 'cosmic cue' -  though no doubt it will be some time before this is widely available.

The next Full Moon is a Blood Moon (October 8th and also a lunar eclipse). It is entirely possible that matters will yet escalate in the Middle East especially. 

Here in the UK, the vote for Scottish Independence dominates September's news. Sterling fell by 1% against both the Euro and US dollar in trading on Monday morning on fears that the 'Yes' campaign will win through.

So what do the horoscopes/charts say? As the polls close on September, Mercury's position in Libra and close to the Node seems pivotal. It may be that The Scales are finely balanced indeed. We should expect a very high turn-out with younger people showing more interest in voting in this referendum than they have shown in recent elections. (Politicians take note: the dates chosen for key votes yield valuable information as to who is really, really interested in the outcome).

It is also possible that there will be something 'wrong' with the counting operation and that results won't be finalised for several weeks.

For a variety of astro-reasons I think that the 'No' vote will hold sway - at least for the moment. But that is just for this vote. This is unlikely to be the end of the matter. There can be little doubt that those who crave an independent Scotland will continue to work hard toward achieving this - at least for the next decade if not longer.

I looked ahead to 24 March 2016, the date Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland) determined for the first Scottish Election proper. This chart reflects the chart for Scotland very well indeed and will surely be a significant date even if the 'no' campaign wins through this time.

Those of us observing transits and progressions to one of the more commonly used charts for the UK (Midnight, Westminster on January 1st 1801), have recognised for many years that this chart was due for major over-haul. Devolution was only the beginning. A fresh chart is now needed,

There is one interesting feature of both the Referendum and the March 2016 charts: both have Jupiter within a few degrees of the Part of Fortune. To me this underlines the legal costs that will no doubt be incurred (whatever way the vote goes).

Along with sterling's losses today, the UK FTSE index also suffered. Other indices were down too - though not as dramatically at this September's Full Moon as they were back in 2008 when Uranus was configured with the Pisces Full Moon.

This is not to say that a severe correction is not waiting in the wings. Next month's Full Moon (October 8th) does have Uranus aligned on that degree. It is also a lunar eclipse and may well prove a day of high drama. You might wish to consider taking any profits at the end of the week before (October 2nd or 3rd) - though obviously need to check this with your financial advisor and technical analysts. That said, I am looking for recovery later in October.

Prior to this, I am looking for market strength (highs) as the Sun moves into Libra reaching the Equinox on September 23rd. The S&P could experience another high that week.

That's also the date for my workshop in Phoenix so we can look at this forecast 'live' if you are there.

Clients born under Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces (yes all the Mutable signs) have kept me busy this last month and I fell behind with the writing schedule. That may have been a good thing though as some of the charts I was alerted to have paved the way for a chapter on astro-investing in Africa that I hadn't considered earlier.

Later today I will be in contact with those of you awaiting the next astro-finance course. This course will be delivered in London over the weekend of November 22nd and 23rd . Please email if interested. There will be a maximum of 10 places and 5 are spoken for already.

With lectures in Phoenix (www.isarastrology.com) the Association of Professional Astrologers (October 11th), NCGR (October 19th), the International BDTB conference (November) and the Financial Course in London that month followed by a trip to Toronto in December, this is going to be a happily busy quarter of the year. (Further information on www.financialuniverse.co.uk)

As I will be travelling over the closest weekend to the Equinox, I won't be offering a webinar for this quarter but will be offering a look at the whole of 2015 in a webinar on Sunday December 21st.

For now, and with the suggestion that you do some serious risk-assessment and take steps to protect yourself for the period around the next Full Moon,

Yours from the stars

Christeen