Will Anything Be Accomplished by the G20 Meeting?

This weekend leaders from 20 nations, representing 85% of the world’s wealth, met to discuss the world economic crisis and make some decisions about what to do. The meeting started with a toast by George W. Bush prior to a “working dinner” at approximately 7:30 PM EST in Washington DC. How well successful will the G20 leaders be in heading off a greater global economic crisis? The details are in the chart of the event, shown here.

What Stands Out
Central to the situation is the energy of the Saturn-Uranus opposition. I have talked about this ad nauseam, but it must be brought up again as the most significant factor in the chart. This is because these two planets were at the highest (Midheaven) and lowest (IC/nadir) points in the heavens when the summit commenced.

However, this highly charged configuration receives mostly harmonious contacts from other planets. This says that, although there is a crisis, there are constructive ideas, even solutions that will be proposed. Notable among these are the contacts made by Jupiter, which trines Saturn and sextiles Uranus.

Just as with any situation, nothing’s perfect. The Moon — the timer, mood-setter, and representative of the public — is in Gemini, and it is about to make challenging connections with Saturn and Uranus (a square to each). This suggests that the leaders will not be of one mind, that there are many disparate viewpoints to be reconciled. This indeed seems to be the case, with (one pillar of Gemini representing) the powerful G7 versus (the other pillar of Gemini representing) the less-developed and under-represented nations like China and India.

The Moon’s placement implies conflict, which would have been evident right away due to pre-meeting statements, but during dinner they were avoided as the Moon passed Saturn-Uranus and made a trine to Neptune. However, on Saturday, all the disparate ideas came out as Moon made an opposition to Pluto. This was potentially explosive and would have had to be handled with diplomacy.

While the Moon is not a particular helpmate, Mercury the Messenger and Communicator is on the side of resolution. It made a trine to Uranus that would be felt all day, even on Friday. Despite anyone’s mood, there was a spirit of problem-solving and a setting aside of differences.

Jupiter Trines Saturn at Last: Sane and Sober or Ideological to the End?
One of the configurations I’ve been touting was strong over this weekend. Jupiter and Saturn have been heading toward their last of five trines, and the moment of perfection arrived this weekend. This pattern has been a double-edged sword, giving us the opportunity for a soft landing, but perhaps also the complacency to believe in a false hope that it’s already over. The leaders in the Bush Administration and business (the same thing), still bingeing on an obviously faulty ideology, have refused to accept that they’ve dug us into a truly deep hole and that they don’t have the slightest idea of how to dig us out. They don’t want to admit that more regulation — and enforcement of current regulation — is called for.

This is the complacency that trines are famous for, especially when one (or more) of the planets is debilitated. Jupiter in Capricorn, while a lovely placement that works well for many people, is not generally used well by the collective or those who have not developed some wisdom. This is our fearless leaders giving away our $700bn dollars to the banks, who are hoarding the money, using the cash to devour each other, and refusing to give it to the intended recipients — borrowers like us.

However, more rational minds, like Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy, have some very good ideas of what to do. These more rational minds are represented by a very pragmatic Saturn in Virgo, and soberly remind us that there is no easy fix. Our Jupiter-in-Capricorn leaders are a sorry lot, and although they had hoped to be the white-knight saviors of the world markets (as opposed to economies), they are being revealed as the ideologues they truly are.

We can see that this configuration, as with any, is a mixed bag. I have learned to be cautiously optimistic with trines, and conversely that squares and oppositions sometimes bring better, if more painful, outcomes. That being said, I think the Saturn influence in this pattern is a great help. We need a healthy dose of realism if we are to solve the problems. Fortunately, there are world leaders who have a better grip on how economies work and are not blinded by trickle-down free-market ideology. This suggests that the Jupiter-Saturn trine really is good news.

Uranus to the Rescue!
Believe it or not, Uranus the Awakener is our rescuer. It represents the paroxysms that have shaken the world’s financial systems over and over again. This blunt truth-teller is reporting quite faithfully that the system is badly out of balance and needs to be reshaped, perhaps even reinvented. This gives the Bush team a chance to stop deluding themselves. Everyone is subject to Uranus’s shocks, the more so if we have ignored or been unable to decipher the evidence before us.

Although Uranus is in the illuminating (but painful) opposition to Saturn, it is sextile to Jupiter. This is an opportunity aspect. If we are alert to openings around us, sextiles are those not-so-obvious windows of light into the world of positive change, especially where Jupiter and Uranus are concerned. The harmonies from Jupiter suggest that the solemn reality of the situation might just humble the Americans into new, healthier perspectives.

With a Little Help From Their Friend
The ultimate representative of obsessive ideology is none other than Pluto in Sagittarius. Although it doesn’t have to be used this way, it can be associated with all extreme and zealous viewpoints and ideologies. And boy oh boy are we ready to see it move into the reality-revealing sign of Capricorn! While it made its brief spin into Capricorn January 25–June 13, our leaders were faced with the horror that they had colluded in creating. It was an economic Pompeii in the real world. People were frozen in place, in shock.

Now we’ve had a chance to grapple with the issues and get used to them, and while they won’t go away any time soon, we’re perhaps a little better prepared now as Pluto makes its final ingress into Capricorn. Pluto is in Sagittarius in this chart, and it reminds us that not much can be done because it is at the end of an era, not the beginning. They will have to wait for substantive measures until Obama takes office.

Obama decided to send surrogates to represent him rather than be at the meeting himself. While the other leaders were eager to meet him and disappointed that he didn’t attend, Obama did not want to be associated with the Bush economic doctrine. Bush has remained adamant about maintaining his policy positions, and Obama wants as much distance between himself and these policies as possible.

The Outcome of the Meeting
We can see the outcome through the final aspect that the Moon makes and by the aspects made between the rulers of the Ascendant and IC. The Moon’s final aspect in Sagittarius is an opposition to Pluto: The summit meeting ends without a meaningful resolution. Internal conflicts still exist.

However, there is a bright light rising on the horizon. The ruler of the Ascendant is Mercury; of the IC is Jupiter. These two planets are headed toward a lovely sextile. There is a door of opportunity through which the G20 leaders can walk if they turn the knob and open it. When the new Obama administration comes in on January 20, there will finally be progress. Although the G20 will not meet again until April, Obama will be swift to meet with leaders individually and begin to implement the policies he wants to introduce. This is probably the best portent of all.